Like many people, you are probably aware that self-driving cars are being developed and will likely be seen on Georgia’s roads in the very near future. However, you may have some questions and concerns about just how safe these cars will be and what kind of safety testing will be required of them.
The federal government recently announced guidelines it has developed, which auto manufacturers will have to follow in order get their products on the road, reports Bloomberg. The federal guidelines are important since many people do not want individual states to come up with their own rules since that would likely lead to confusion and could potentially make you and other drivers unsafe.
While the manufacturing and safety side does fall to the federal government under the guidelines, states are not excluded from the process. In fact, the guidelines indicate that states should still play a role in everything from issuing your driver’s license to safety inspections and traffic law enforcement. In addition, from the perspective of the auto manufacturers, it is important that the guidelines strike a balance between ensuring driver and passenger safety and allowing companies to test innovative technologies.
In order to comply with the federal guidelines, automakers will have to show that their self-driving cars meet a number of criteria. The safety testing methods must be provided and the public must be granted access to the results. Manufacturers will have to provide solutions for scenarios where autonomous technology malfunctions and will have to demonstrate how their self-driving technology works. The guidelines will be adopted incrementally and will be reviewed and updated each year.