The California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) has published proposed regulations governing self-driving and autonomous cars on California’s roads, the DMV announced on Tuesday.
"California is leading the way in autonomous vehicles and these testing regulations are the first step in making the technology available," said Bernard Soriano, DMV’s Deputy Director said in a press release. "The DMV continues to welcome public comment and ideas on the development of these vehicle testing regulations."
The regulations were published in the Office of Administrative Law’s California Regulatory Notice Register, which can be found at http://oal.ca.gov/res/docs/pdf/notice/48z-2013.pdf, starting at page 1867.
State Senator Alex Padilla arrives at a State Capitol press conference on March 1, 2012. Image: www.YouTube.com/CASenDems
Over the past several years, cars have been outfitted with increasingly sophisticated collision avoidance technology, including blind spot assistance, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning systems and traffic jam assistance. Fully autonomous vehicles are cars that have the technology to drive without physical control from a human driver.
Numerous companies have developed prototypes of fully autonomous cars, including Mercedes-Benz, General Motors, Nissan and Google.
The publication begins the 45-day public comment period before the regulations are finalized in spring 2014. Those wishing to publicly comment on autonomous vehicle testing regulations need to contact the DMV at LRegulations@dmv.ca.gov.
The DMV will also be hosting a public hearing on Jan. 14, 2014 in the Assembly Room at DMV’s headquarters in Sacramento. The hearing will also be webcast.
The regulations were mandated by Senate Bill 1298, authored by Senator Alex Padilla (D-Pacoima), which includes requirements for testing autonomous vehicles, insurance, reporting and registration.
The DMV is also working on regulations for publicly operating the cars on the roads, once the cars are fully tested. The operation regulations should be completed by January 2015.
