On Tuesday, the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) officially approved rules to allow the testing of autonomous vehicles on public roads. The rules will take effect September 16, 2014…
According to the adopted regulatory text that the California DMV posted on Tuesday, a manufacturer which wants to test autonomous vehicles has to apply for a testing permit, certify its drivers to test the cars, and secure a $5 million insurance or safety bond. The testing permit must be renewed after one year or else it expires.
During the tests, an operator must remain in the driver’s seat at all times and must obtain an “Autonomous Vehicle Testing (AVT) Program Test Vehicle Operator Permit” from the DMV. To obtain such a permit, the operator must go through a training program put together by the manufacturer and approved by the DMV, which includes “defensive driver training, including practical experience in recovering from hazardous driving scenarios” as well as “instruction that matches the level of the autonomous test vehicle driver’s experience operating the specific type of automated driving system technology with the level of technical maturity of the automated system.”
via Ars Technica
Image: Terrence Lui
