Government will consider Google computer to be vehicle’s driver
Computers that control cars of the future can be considered drivers just like humans, the federal government’s highway safety agency has found.
DETROIT — Computers that control cars of the future can be considered drivers just like humans, the federal government’s highway safety agency has found.
The redefinition of “driver” by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is an important break for Google, taking it a step closer to its goal of self-driving cars without steering wheels, pedals or human drivers.
But the company still has a long journey ahead before its cars get on the road in great numbers. While the safety agency agreed with Google’s “driver” reinterpretation in a recent letter, it didn’t allow other concessions and said numerous federal rules would have to be changed to permit the cars.
“NHTSA will interpret ‘driver’ in the context of Google’s described motor vehicle design as referring to the SDS (self-driving system) and not to any of the vehicle occupants,” Paul Hemmersbaugh, NHTSA’S chief counsel, wrote in the letter.
But the agency rejected many of Google’s claims that its cars met federal auto safety standards, including a requirement for foot and hand brakes. Google said the requirement wasn’t necessary because the electronic driver can stop the cars. Yet 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 (federal) standards are un- necessary for a particular vehicle design,” Hemmersbaugh wrote. “To date, however, Google has not made such a showing.”
Google, a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., has suggested the cars could be ready for the public in a few years. After several years of caution, last month federal regulators said they wanted to help speed the technology’s widespread adoption if it proves to be safe.
In letters over the past three months, Google asked NHTSA to interpret safety standards in ways that would ease the path for selfdriving car prototypes to get into public hands.
In order to put their cars on the road, automakers must self-certify that they meet federal safety standards and get NHTSA’S approv- al. While Hemmersbaugh’s letter agrees about the computer as the driver, it says the company will have to apply for exemptions to the standards, and the agency will have to go through the cumbersome federal rule-making process in some cases to get the cars approved.
In January at the Detroit auto show, Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said the government wants to get autonomous cars on the road quickly and will fast-track policies and possibly even waive regulations to do it.
Foxx said NHTSA, which is part of his department, will spend the next six months developing guidance for automakers on what’s expected of self-driving prototype cars and what sort of tests should be used to make sure they are safe.