Google slams state’s driverless car rules
Critics of proposal say regulations would slow getting autos to market
In 2012, standing beside Gov. Jerry Brown during the signing of a landmark bill that gave the green light to driverless cars, Google co-founder Sergey Brin boldly predicted that the vehicles would be available to the public within five years.
Not so fast, state regulators say.
The California Department of Motor Vehicles on Wednesday released draft regulations for the use of autonomous cars that critics such as Google say could slow down the mass adoption of the new technology, highlighting the conflict between
tech firms that want to innovate quickly and state agencies that tend to take the cautious road.
“We’re gravely disappointed that California is already writing a ceiling on the potential for fully selfdriving cars to help all of us who live here,” Google spokesman Johnny Luu said in a statement.
Under the regulations, a licensed driver would have to be in the car, be prepared to take over when needed and be responsible for any traffic violations. Google disagrees with that idea, noting that the technology was developed in part to help people who can’t drive, such as the disabled and elderly.
Vehicle manufacturers would have to pass tests under the proposal, showing that the driverless car is ready for public roads, and submit monthly reports about the performance, use and safety of the cars. The cars could be leased — but not sold — to the public.
The proposed regulations come as self-driving technology and research is taking off in Silicon Valley. In addition to Google, 10 other manufacturers, including Tesla, Nissan, BMW and Mercedes-Benz, have research centers in the valley and permits to test autonomous vehicles in California. Apple is also rumored to be interested in driverless car technology. Ford said Tuesday it plans to start testing a self-driving car in the state next year.
But state regulators signaled Wednesday they’re concerned about the risks that come with the new technology, and DMV Director Jean Shiomoto said in a statement that the main focus of the proposed regulations “is the safety of autonomous vehicles and the safety of the public who will share the road with these vehicles.” Advocacy groups such as Consumer Watchdog also praised the government’s cautious eye on safety.
Google, which is under the newly formed parent company Alphabet, and others will have a chance to voice their concerns or support in public workshops on Jan. 28 in Sacramento and on Feb. 2 in Los Angeles. Tesla and Nissan said they are currently reviewing the draft regulations.
“The fundamental challenge is finding the right balance between protecting public safety and encouraging technology innovation. In this case, different people will have different opinions about where that balance is,” said Steven Shladover, program manager of California Partners for Advanced Transportation Technology, a research and development program at UC Berkeley. “The burden is on the developers of the system to prove that it is sufficiently safe and it’s not going to jeopardize public safety.”
That question is a difficult one to answer, he said.
“There are many years of research still needed to prove how you can prove that system is safe. Nobody has the technology to prove the safety of software, and that is a fundamental limitation.”
Luu said Google’s top priority is safety, too, and that the driverless cars aim to reduce the number of accidents caused by human error.
Some experts say that holding licensed drivers responsible for an autonomous vehicle might not make it safer.
“The most dangerous kind of autonomous vehicles are those that require human monitoring,” said Don Norman, professor and director of the Design Lab at UC San Diego.
Norman, who is also a former executive of Apple and HP, said in an email, “People are incapable of monitoring something for long periods and then taking control when an emergency arises. Decades of scientific research and experience with well-trained pilots in commercial aviation demonstrates this.”
Google has been testing driverless vehicles since 2009, unleashing fleets of the cars in Mountain View and more recently in Texas. The cars have been involved in more than a dozen fender-benders, though the tech firm argues that they are being hit by drivers who are distracted and not paying attention to the roads.
Work on driverless car regulations began after 2012 when lawmakers passed Senate Bill 1298, requiring the DMV to adopt rules for the testing and use of autonomous vehicles on public roadways.
“Today we’re looking at science fiction becoming tomorrow’s reality: the self-driving car,” Brown said at the bill-signing event at Google’s headquarters in Mountain View that year.
For consumers eager to test out the self-driving car today, the robot vehicles might still seem like the stuff of science fiction.
“The fundamental challenge is finding the right balance between protecting public safety and encouraging technology innovation. In this case, different people will have different opinions about where that balance is.”
— Steven Shladover, program manager of California Partners for Advanced Transportation Technology, a research and development program at UC Berkeley