The U.S. liberates the way for genuinely driverless cars without steering wheels
Key takeaways:
- Federal vehicle safety regulators have emptied the way to create and deploy genuinely driverless cars that do not have manual controls such as steering wheels or pedals.
- ON THURSDAY, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration gave final regulations stopping the requirement for positively robotic and self-driving vehicles to need such controls.
- The new rule highlights such cars “must persist in offering the same high levels of occupant protection as current passenger vehicles.”
New cars with no steering wheels:
Federal vehicle safety controllers have removed the way to produce and deploy driverless cars that do not contain manual controls such as steering wheels or pedals.
ON THURSDAY, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration published final regulations stopping the need that cars with automated driving systems, or self-driving vehicles, include these traditional controls.
The 155-page “first-of-its-kind” legislation lets firms create and deploy autonomous vehicles without manual controls as long as they meet other safety rules. Present self-driving cars, operating in small numbers in the U.S. today, usually include manual controls for backup safety drivers and satisfy federal safety standards.
“Through the 2020s, an essential part of USDOT’s safety mission will be to provide safety standards keep speed with the development of automated driving and driver assistance systems,” Transportation Secretary stated Pete Buttigieg in a comment. “This new rule is a crucial stage, demonstrating strong safety standards for ADS-equipped vehicles.”
The new rule highlights driverless cars “must persist in offering the same high levels of resident protection as present passenger vehicles.” Firms still must meet other security standards and federal, state, and regional regulations to establish and operate driverless cars on U.S. roads.
In a printed version of the rule, which NHTSA Deputy Administrator Steven S. Cliff signed, the agency noted that it “aimed to explain that a manufacturer of ADS-equipped vehicles must persist in applying citizen protection standards to its cars even if manual steering controls are not installed in the car.”