California has been one of the main states leading the charge to get self-driving cars on the streets. They have even gone as far as modifying the regulations and testing of autonomous cars so they are available even quicker. However, they do seem to have their limits. California has recently nixed a law that would allow manufacturers to evade liability for crashes if the vehicles weren’t maintained according to the proper specs. Basically, even if an accident was caused due to poor coding or manufacturing error, it could be blamed on the driver for having dirty sensors.
The rule was originally suggested by General Motors. However, according to a spokeswoman from the California Department of Motor Vehicles, it was denied after numerous comments surfaced objecting to the rule.The department will be accepting comments on the issue until December 15, but the final changes won’t take effect until early 2018.
While this may not seem like a huge deal at first, it says a lot about standing up for consumers. By vetoing the potential law, California is choosing to hold self-driving carmakers to a higher standard. With more financial responsibility falling on the manufacturers, they may be more concerned with proper testing and development going into the future.
California, Arizona, and Michigan have all allowed self-driving cars to test on their streets, and GM plans to have autonomous cars in every big city in the United States in 2019. They hope to begin a service a ride-sharing service, much like Uber, only with autonomous vehicles. Employees of GM have already been participating in beta-testing of their ride service.
What are your thoughts on the California law? Or just on self-driving cars in general? Let us know in the comments below! Make sure to keep your eye on The Nerd Stash for all of your technology needs!
