Different companies have been stuck cruising on the road with autonomous driving. These companies have been developing cars that have the ability to drive itself with goals to make the road safer for all road users. Unfortunately, there is no clear federal law that gives authority to the companies to test their cars in a real world scenario, limiting the development of the technology. The state of Michigan may be on the verge of changing the future of autonomous driving as they have just passed a bill that will finally allow autonomous car companies to conduct tests for their cars in a real world environment.
The First State With Comprehensive Laws For Smart Cars
The bill will make Michigan the first state to establish extensive regulations for testing, handling and sale of autonomous vehicles. Governor Rick Snyder has signed a law that decides how autonomous cars can be used on public roads. The law will allow public road testing of autonomous cars without the steering wheel, brake or acceleration pedals or without any human intervention. The law will allow autonomous vehicle companies to operate self-driving cars for ride-hailing services and gives a blueprint of how autonomous cars can be sold to the public once tested and certified.
Politicians Wants Detroit To Be The Center Of It All
"Michigan is the global center for automotive technology and development, by establishing guidelines and standards for self-driving vehicles, we're continuing that tradition," said Snyder in a statement. Business leaders and politicians from the state of Michigan said that they are eager to keep Detroit at the center of the automotive industry. It is going to be a race with Silicon Valley as they already have big companies such as Google, Apple, and Uber advancing their research and development of smart vehicles.
Washington D.C and seven US states have laws that allow testing of autonomous vehicles, while three other states allow them to do the testing on public roads. However, those laws are still unclear in some aspects and only Michigan has a clear-cut legal framework for autonomous vehicles. This is good news for both local Michigan businesses as automotive companies will feel more welcome in their state than others, which in turn will be good for the state's economic growth.
