An assemblywoman in California, Susan Bonilla is passing a bill that would permit self-directed vehicles without human drivers. For the first time in the U.S. history, California will be the first state that will allow the testing of driverless vehicles on private roads. However, the bill only allows GoMentum Station and not Google's driverless cars to do the pilot test on the road.
According to The Guardian, the bill, AB1592 would allow driverless cars "not equipped with a steering wheel, a brake pedal, an accelerator, or an operator inside the vehicle." The bill also says that pilot test will only be at a speed of 35 mph and only permitted in a specific business park. At present, the California law requires all autonomous vehicles to have manual backup controls and a human safety driver. If the bill will be approved, it would mean that Google's prototype "Koala" would be banned from the private roads.
"Safety is our highest priority and primary motivator as we do this. We're gravely disappointed that California is already writing a ceiling on the potential for fully self-driving cars to help all of us who live here," Google spokesman Johnny Luu said in an emailed statement.
In the Dec. 17, 2015 report Of USA Today, the tabloid claims that Google's driverless cars were not allowed to run test in California without a licensed human driver aboard. The US internet giant had expressed its disappointment in the rules. If the bill will be finalized, Google is planning to test drive their cars in other states. Currently, Electric car company Tesla Motors and Ford are one of the few companies that have a license to test vehicles on California roads.
Meanwhile it has been revealed that Google officials have met the British government to talk about the possibility of seeing Google's driverless cars on the UK roads. It is said that in a span of two years, the internet giant has had a close meeting with the Department of Transportation about the self-driving vehicle. Since Google's driverless cars are not a priority to California, the company seems to be seeing a better market for their autonomous cars.
