Testing Of Self-Driving Vehicles On California Public Roads To Be Regulated By New State Law

The things of science fiction are increasingly becoming a reality, and if you’re anything like me, you keep an open mind, while still being a little wary.

The testing of automated (basically robotic) self-driving vehicles has quietly been going on in California for last several years, and only within the last few months has California Governor Edmond Brown signed a bill to regulate the activity.

The state says that it encourages the continued development, testing, and operation of these vehicles on state roads, but wants to ensure that it’s done “in a safe manner.”

The new regulations which are to be adopted “as soon as practical, but no later than Jan. 1, 2015,” are basically designed hit manufacturers in the wallet to ensure that they stay careful on the roads.

The new regulations would require the manufacturers of these vehicles – whose technology has been developed by Google – to meet obligations, including:

• Submitting to the Department of Motor Vehicles evidence of either insurance, surety bond, or self-insurance in the amount of $5 million.

To understand a little more about these vehicles, they use computers, sensors, and other systems to allow them to operate without “the active control and continuous monitoring of a human operator.”

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