State must proceed with caution on self-driving car rules
After years of go-slow debate, California is all in on a promising but chancy idea: a green light for self-driving cars. By the end of the year, cars without human drivers or even steering wheels and brake pedals may be whizzing along streets and highways.
The approval is coming from the Department of Motor Vehicles, which is weighing the safety factor against something equally big. This state is now the new Detroit, where software developers are turning steel and glass vehicles into rolling computers. Tech firms are putting down billion-dollar bets on the future. Added to the mix is the adoptive nature of California drivers, already the biggest national market for hybrids and electric cars.
Sacramento is easing the rules to welcome the nascent industry that’s attracting every major automaker and a flock of startups to Silicon Valley. But as any smartphone user can attest, technology isn’t always foolproof, reliable or immune from hackers. Sitting back and letting Siri do the driving may only be for the brave.
If the plan rolls out, conventional driving won’t the same. Gone is the need for a steering wheel, with guidance supplied by seeing-eye sensors and a dashboard loaded with chips and software. Under the newly announced rules, come Christmas there won’t be a need for a human at the controls or in the car, though an operator will stand by to monitor operations remotely.
California’s push still needs approval from federal highway authorities, but the intention is clear, especially as other states push self-driving experiments and woo the brewing industry. It’s more than a niche game as Intel’s $15 billion acquisition last week of vision sensor firm Mobileye shows. In October, San Diego-based Qualcomm paid $38 billion for NXP Semiconductors, principally for its stake in the car market. Some 27 companies including Google, Ford and General Motors have scores of test cars on the road here.
This financial horsepower is playing an undeniable role in Sacramento’s thinking. In one notable skirmish, Uber, which didn’t want to play by the state rules, moved its testing operations to Arizona. Other firms impatient with state oversight could do the
same.
That’s only one reason for more lenient regulations. Autonomous cars have the potential to eliminate driver error that kills over 30,000 people per year. Road rage, drunk driving and plain error could be tamed. The elderly and disabled could achieve increased mobility. Even traffic jams, parking, and gas station waits might be improved if a driver-dominated car culture shifts in a more efficient direction. Down the road will be other challenges only beginning to be felt. Fleets of app-summoned self-driving taxis may eliminate the need for paid drivers. Selfdriving trucks are already being tested, presenting a job-ending dilemma for the transportation industry. These considerations reach far beyond California’s official steps so far.
There still needs to be serious oversight. Skepticism about tech’s infallibility is just a first reaction. Immensely powerful chips and software will be required to handle the instantaneous decisions that human drivers now make.
The ground rules right now put much of the testing and documentation in the hands of the car firms. They’re required to disclose accidents and report results, but the span of experience is still relatively short. There’s the legal realm to consider in assigning blame if any foul-up leads to trouble or harm.
If these issues can be sorted out, California’s asphalt may never be the same. But there’s reason for doubt and concern, plus ample public review before letting technology take over.