Some states in the country have allowed companies to test their self-driving cars on the road but the companies have to ensure that there’s a human driver behind the wheel at all times to take over in case something goes wrong. That restriction has now been removed by the state of Arizona. Governor Doug Ducey has issued an executive order this week which allows companies to have self-driving cars on the road without human drivers behind the wheel. Self-driving cars can now operate on their own on public roads in Arizona provided that they adhere to all federal and state safety standards for cars and drivers.
“This executive order embraces new technologies by creating an environment that supports autonomous vehicle innovation and maintains a focus on public safety,” Ducey said in a statement, adding that policies and priorities have to adapt to remain competitive in today’s economy as technology advances.
Arizona already has more than 600 self-driving cars operating on public roads. Major companies like Intel and Waymo are involved in testing their technologies and so are General Motors and Uber.
However, Arizona isn’t the first state to allow driverless cars on public roads without a human safety driver, California recently announced that it will allow fully driverless cars on public roads in April.
Arizona and California have been in competition over this and the former seeks to bring in more companies by imposing fewer regulations. Most self-driving car companies are still based in California even though the state requires them to obtain permits and even submit annual reports on software disengagements. No such public disclosures are required by Arizona.
Filed in . Read more about Self-Driving Cars. Source: azcentral