Just as traffic rules have been defined for conventional cars, which have almost similar principles in all parts of the world, such regulations are also expected for self-driving cars. Nevertheless, autonomous vehicles are not yet very common and several challenges have caused the current laws to be incoherent and obscure. In this article, we will discuss these rules and challenges.
One of the questions that arose from the very beginning of the development of AVs was when these vehicles will be accessible to the public. However, instead of answering this question, we should come up with an idea about what protocols these AVs have to go through so that we can treat them as a typical part of our life.
First of all, it is worth mentioning that two American organizations play a prominent role in determining the restrictions: NHTSA, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and IIHS, the Insurance and Highway Safety Institute of America. Indeed, NHTSA generally sets the rules, and the IIHS mainly decides on safety-legal cases. For example, some of the security tests that AVs have to pass are determined by this institute.
Timeline
The NHTSA released the first fundamental policies for AVs in 2013. In addition, the Deputy Ministry of Transportation on January 14, 2016, released the FY 2017 budget proposal, which included updates on the preliminary policies of the self-driving rules.
However, even after numerous official and unofficial revisions, there were still ambiguities so that under the current laws, they could not rule on it! For example, in the United States, a law was passed that enabled AVs to be tested on urban streets, but most states did not specify whether drivers were required to hold the steering wheel or not. Although it had been established that in any case, the driver should be in control of the vehicle, no specific information was provided about how many tasks the driver should be responsible for and which tasks are beyond his authority.
Meanwhile, Google tested its AV samples in California and used the vehicle in a self-driving mode for myriad hours without the slightest incident! Then, on February 4, 2016, NHTSA responded positively to Google’s request to update the standards for urban testing. Undoubtedly, Google is one of the companies that has had a significant impact on the legalization of AVs. Finally, on September 20, 2016, the US Department of Transportation released federal policies on autonomous vehicles.
Assistance vs. Automation
One of the issues that can cause misunderstanding is the difference between the levels of AVs. According to the definition available on the NHTSA website, level 0, 1, and 2 self-driving cars are not considered self-driving in that sense. They are just equipped with advanced driver assistance systems. Interestingly, some of the vehicles that Tesla claims are fully self-driving are actually nothing more than Level 2! It should be noted that there is no ambiguity about levels 0, 1, and 2 AVs, and their rules are the same as the conventional vehicles.
In fully autonomous vehicles, however, since they are not yet widespread, the rules can differ significantly from region to region and sometimes over time. For the purpose of illustration, you can go to the GHSA website and check exactly which states currently allow driverless vehicles and which states allow AVs to be used only under their driver control. You can also follow the latest state-by-state laws on the IIHS website. Another important issue is that according to the NHTSA website, there are currently no fully self-driving cars on the road and it is not available to the public yet. In the news these days, self-driving means a vehicle whose main authority is still in the hands of the driver.
Last word
Finally, we end the discussion by answering the last great obscurity in this field. It is controversial whether a driver is a culprit or not in an accident in which at least one of the sides is AV. The rules in this case, like those discussed earlier, have been accompanied by many changes in different geographies. However, according to the latest news published on the automotive world website, in these accidents, the driver of the self-driving car will not be legally guilty; rather, the car manufacturer or any person/company who allowed the vehicle to be on the road should be punished.