Regulators say computers can qualify as drivers

DETROIT — Computers that control cars of the future can be considered drivers just like humans, the federal government’s highway safety agency has decided.

The redefinition of “driver” by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is an important break for Google, which is developing self-driving cars that get around without steering wheels, pedals or even the need for a person to be inside.

Though treating a computer like a driver for regulatory purposes helps Google, its cars have miles to go before they get on the road in great numbers. While the agency agreed with Google’s “driver” reinterpretation in a recent letter, it didn’t allow other concessions and said many rules would have to be changed to permit the cars.

Google, a subsidiary of Alphabet, is testing dozens of prototypes in California, Texas and Washington. The company has suggested they could be ready for the public in a fewyears.

In written requests over the past three months, Google asked the agency to interpret federal code in ways that would ease the path to market for its cars.

The agency agreed that the car can be a driver but, in a Feb. 4 response posted on its website, also rejected the company’s claim that the cars comply with many related regulations including requirements for foot or hand brakes. Google said the requirement wasn’t necessary because the electronic driver can stop the cars. The government said regulations are clear and would have to be changed to allow that.

“In a number of instances, it may be possible for Google to show that certain standards are unnecessary for a particular vehicle design,” Paul Hemmers baugh, the highway traffic safety agency’s chief counsel, wrote. “To date, however, Google has not made sucha showing.”

To put their cars on the road, automakers must self-certify that they meet federal safety standards and get approval from the traffic safety agency. Hemmersbaugh’s letter encouraged Google to apply for exemptions to the standards. It also said for some requests, the agency will have to go through the cumbersome federal rule-making process to approve the cars.

Associated Press file Google’s self-driving prototype makes an appearance last year at the company’s campus in Mountain View, Calif. If you hop into one of Google’s pod-like self-driving cars, you won’t be considered the “driver,” according to a letter sent to the company...