"“These bills are a mixed bag,” says Bryant Walker Smith, an expert in autonomous vehicles at the University of South Carolina School of Law and the Center for Internet and Society. He says lawmakers clearly want to make the state ready for the commercial application of autonomous tech.In contrast, California, home of Silicon Valley, recently proposed far more restrictive rules that would require human drivers be ready to take the wheel, and ban commercial use of autonomous tech.
But Smith worries some aspects of these bills “could criminalize many kinds of vehicle research.” That’s because any modification of self-driving systems, even for research purposes, would be made illegal. Moreover, it’s unclear who exactly would be the responsible party. The legislation says the automated driving system is the legal operator, but, Smith says, “It’s not clear what this means or to what it extends, and it will require substantial clarification.” Obviously a computer is not a person, “so it’s unclear how motor vehicle laws related to insurance or liability would apply.” In contrast, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s announcement in February that it would count computers as human drivers is a “less dramatic legal move” that allows Google to move ahead with its plan to get rid of the steering wheel and pedals, without thinking about liability concerns just yet."
- Date Published:05/27/2016
- Original Publication:Wired