Michigan is taking legislative steps in anticipation of the eventual public use of self-driving cars, according to a published report in The Wall Street Journal.
This new legislation would allow for the public sales and operation of autonomous vehicles, beyond the bounds that existing state laws currently impose on self-driving cars — which prohibit all non-testing use, according to the report.
It will be years before we see ubiquitous use of driverless cars, the journal continues, but lawmakers and transportation leaders believe the technology behind the phenomenon is progressing at a rate sufficient to merit Michigan’s legislative efforts to stay ahead of the curve — lest the state lose its automotive research and development lead to other states.
The new package of bipartisan bills is set to update 2013 laws to permit the operation of autonomous cars on public roads without a driver. Some bills even propose allowing “platoons” of smart commercial trucks capable of traveling in unison at synchronized speeds. Finally, the three main Detroit manufacturers — Chrysler, Ford and General Motors — would be authorized to run networks of self-driving vehicles as needed by the market.
These steps come as a positive reaction to auto manufacturers’ efforts to join the “mobility” industry, the Journal surmised. Last week, Toyota announced an investment in Uber, just one month after GM invested $500 million in Uber’s rival: Lyft. Even Google is in on the action, having partnered with Fiat Chrysler to test self-driving software in 100 minivans in a Detroit suburb called Novi.
“It’s coming. It’s coming fast,” Michigan’s Department of Transportation Director Kirk Steudle said in the article — referring to the fusion of Motor City industry with Silicon Valley tech. “The technology is at a point where it will be incorporated into something that is mass-produced.”
There are currently seven other states with laws related to autonomous cars. Nevada was the first state to authorize self-driving vehicles in 2011, followed by Florida, California, Tennessee, North Dakota and Utah.
Google aims to make autonomous cars publicly available by the close of 2019, with a convoy of self-driving Army trucks scheduled for testing along a stretch of Interstate 69 in California’s “Thumb” region, according to the Journal. Just in case, someone will be available at the wheel of each vehicle, as required by (present) state law.