GovBytes: Legislation to Regulate Autonomous Vehicles Introduced in California

Driverless cars are quickly becoming more of a reality, with some car makers already employing technology such a assisted parallel parking into their vehicles. It is becoming so much of a reality that California State Senator Alex Padilla (D-Pacoima) introduced legislation Thursday (3/1/2012) that would regulate autonomous vehicles in the state. About why the bill is necessary now, Padilla said:

We’re living in an era of Moore’s Law (See: Has Moore’s Law Reached its Limit?), where every two years we double our computer processing speeds. And what it’s done is it’s allowed us to demonstrate exponential improvements to the areas of advanced technology, including the ability to use technology to make self-driving cars a reality sooner rather than later.”

Driverless Cars on California Roads Could be Regulated

Padilla rode to the steps of the state capitol in style to introduce the legislation, pulling up in one of Google’s autonomous vehicles, a hybrid Toyota Prius equipped with cameras, radars, computers, and other technology. Google Product Manager Anthony Levandowski was also present. According to data provided by Google, they have tested autonomous vehicles for more than 200,000 miles on California roads.

Would you feel safer driving alongside an autonomous vehicle and could you live without joyriding?

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