Uber self-driving cars face legal action in US

UBER is facing legal action in California after choosing to defy a local government order to take its self-driving cars off the road.

In a sharply worded letter, lawyers from California’s department of justice demanded that the company get a special state permit if it wants to keep its automatic cars, currently in test mode, on the road in San Francisco.

The letter came only hours after Uber said it would continue the pilot roll-out of its self-driving programme following a similar legal threat from the state department of motor vehicles.

Though there was no deadline in the letter, Melissa Figueroa, a spokesman for the California transportation regulators, told the Associated Press the state would take action “early next week” if Uber doesn’t comply.

Uber began the pilot project on Wednesday with a small fleet of Volvo SUVs kitted out with sensors allowing them to steer, brake and accelerate.

State lawyers insist the cars are “autonomous vehicles” which need a specific permit to drive on public roads.

But Anthony Levandowski, the leader of the company’s self-driving programme, pointed out that the test vehicles have been accompanied by a stand-by human driver in case of emergencies, meaning the cars cannot be defined as “autonomous”. He also ques- tioned why thousands of Tesla cars, which have an autopilot feature allowing them to steer without a person touching the wheel, are allowed on Californian roads without a permit.

Mr Levandowski added the new technology “has the potential to dramatically improve society” by reducing road accidents and cutting congestion.

One consumer advocacy group has suggested more should be done to force Uber to stop. “We believe their activity is a criminal offence under the motor vehicle code, punishable with up to six months in jail,” John Simpson of the group Consumer Watchdog said in a written statement.