The California State Senate unanimously passed a bill Monday that would establish safety and performance standards for self-driving cars in California.
But the California bill also removes a key provision for autonomous vehicle behavior that Nevada has included, which could, if the bill passes as written, affect how drivers "drive" their autonomous vehicles in each state.
The bill, S. 1298, will now move to the state Assembly for consideration after passing 37-0 within the Senate. The bill was authored by state Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Pacoima), an MIT graduate with a degree in mechanical engineering.
"Thousands of Californians tragically die in auto accidents each year," Padilla said in a statement. "The vast majority of these collisions are due to human error.
"Through the use of computers, sensors and other systems, an autonomous vehicle can analyze the driving environment more quickly and accurately and can operate the vehicle more safely," Padilla added. "Autonomous vehicles have the potential to significantly reduce traffic fatalities and injuries. I envision a future that includes self-driving cars. Establishing safety standards for these vehicles is an essential step in that process."
The bill itself doesn't define those features. Instead, they will be defined, in the future, by the Department of the California Highway Patrol.
Asleep at the Wheel?
Interestingly, the California bill goes so far as to define an autonomous vehicle as one that "uses computers, sensors, and other technology and devices that enable the vehicle to safely operate without the active control and continuous monitoring of a human operator."
Nevada, which already approved legislation as well as licensing procedures for self-driving cars, also known as autonomous vehicles, uses a different definition. "'Autonomous vehicle' means a motor vehicle that uses artificial intelligence, sensors and global positioning system coordinates to drive itself without the active intervention of a human operator," the Nevada definition states. It does not include the "continuous monitoring" caveat, and Nevada officials have also said that the law would require a driver to be sober to get behind the wheel of a self-driving car.
As the California bill is written, it would appear that a person sitting behind a wheel in a self-driving car could essentially be asleep at the wheel. If it crossed the border into Nevada, however, the driver would apparently be legally required to oversee the car's behavior.
Google representatives declined to comment. A representative for Sen. Padilla's office, reached after business hours, said the office might have a comment in the morning.
For its part, Google's self-driving car has already chauffeured a blind man to a local Taco Bell. While local police felt that the trip was conducted safely and legally, the CHP had a different interpretation.
"In order to legally drive a vehicle in California; it must be done so by an appropriately licensed driver," a CHP spokeswoman said at the time. "Whether the input from a driver into the driving of a vehicle is done manually or electronically through entered commands, the driver is still responsible for the safe operation of the vehicle and is also required to abide by all existing rules of the road. Additionally, the vehicle must comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards as well as all requirements of the California Vehicle Code."
The Padilla bill would also divide the current, gradual path of driver assistance technologies, such as adaptive cruise control and lane departure warnings, from "true" autonomous vehicles.
"A vehicle equipped with one or more crash avoidance systems, including, but not limited to, electronic blind spot assistance, automated emergency braking systems, park assist, adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, lane departure warning, traffic jam and queuing assist, or other similar systems that enhance safety or provide driver assistance, but are not capable, collectively or singularly, of driving the vehicle without the active control and continuous monitoring of a human operator, is not an autonomous vehicle," the California state bill reads.
Ford, among others, has said that exactly those technologies could be steps toward a future self-driving car.
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