The U.S. state’s Department of Motor Vehicles has put forward a draft that the group says nullifies key benefits of the technology
The Departments of Motor Vehicles (DMVs for short) are the motor vehicle authorities of the U.S. states. They often appear in television series when something needs to be portrayed as particularly bureaucratic and unnecessarily time-consuming – for example, on The Simpsons, where Patty and Selma Bouvier work at the DMV, or in the South Park episode Let Go, Let Gov. But the agencies owe this reputation not only to such series, but also to their own actions, as a recent draft regulation from the California DMV shows.
In it, the authorities demand that the robot cars that companies such as Google, Audi and Bosch plan to launch in the next decade be allowed on the road only if they have pedals and a steering wheel, behind which sits a driver with a driver’s license who keeps a close eye on traffic and is liable for accidents and traffic violations.
With it a very important advantage of the vehicles for the users was omitted unnecessarily, finds the Google company, which has its head office in Mountain View in the Californian Contra Costa County and tests its robot vehicles among other things there. Google is also particularly affected because the company’s robot car prototype (unlike test vehicles from other companies) is not equipped with a steering wheel or pedals.
Google robot car prototype
Google representatives, such as robotic car development chief Chris Urmson, in statements not only appeared to be "heavily debunked", but also "perplexed" and warned that regulations would reduce the potential of technology and impose unnecessary limits on progress and freedom. This would exclude the disabled and others who cannot drive – a point confirmed by Teresa Favuzzi of the California Foundation for Independent Living Centers, who branded the DMV proposal discriminatory on Twitter.
Urmson also reminded the audience of the "shackles of the striving commute", the "wasted hours" and the "limited mobility" of the status quo that the DMV wants to concrete. He referred to the extremely positive feedback from burgers in the test areas in Mountain View, California – but also from Austin, Texas. A subtle reminder that Google could also move its robot car development there if California makes it too hard for the company.
According to Urmson, the safety of other road users, which the DMV cites as a justification for the rule’s requirements, already has a high priority "Highest priority" – and that the robot cars could prevent the 94 percent of all accidents that are caused by human error. In six years of robot car testing, there have been only 17 minor accidents – and none of them were the fault of the Google car.
The DMV draft requires not only a steering wheel and pedals for the provisional approval of a manufacturer’s robot cars, but also tests by independent experts. These investigations are to be valid for three years. Manufacturers are only allowed to lease vehicles with such a provisional registration, but not to sell them – why remains unclear. For all non-security data, the written consent of the user must be proven. And about hacking attacks, both the driver and the DMV must be informed immediately.
For the 28th. January and the 2. February, the DMV has scheduled hearings on the draft. In the meantime, not only Google and disability associations want to convince the authorities of the need for a resolution. Tesla also fears that the wording of the regulations – intended or not – could make even the automatic parking of existing vehicles illegal. California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom also criticized the bill, saying it could turn out to be "too burdensome" prove, "Roadblocks to innovation" and drive a promising industry to other U.S. states.