After a high-profile spat with Uber of self-driving cars that were operating in San Francisco without proper permission, the state of California has proposed new rules that would make it easier for companies to test truly autonomous cars — no one behind the wheel at all — on the state’s roads.
The state’s Department of Motor Vehicles released its proposed rules for autonomous vehicles today, noting that state says California currently has more manufacturers testing autonomous vehicle than any other state.
These new rules expand on existing DMV guidelines for testing autonomous vehicles by setting up conditions for tests of cars where no driver is present. California does not currently allow that. Even the tests of autonomous Uber vehicles had someone in the driver’s seat at all time.
