The autonomous automobile is something that the dreams of many science fiction fans, well alongside the hover board that we saw in Back to the Future II.  Who has not fantasized while driving about being able to just take their eyes off the road, read a book or a newspaper or just take a nap but still arrive at their destination safely?  It is the dream of most people at some point in their lives- especially those with longer commutes.  Well, here are six states that currently have laws in place, or a lack thereof, to allow autonomous automobiles or are in the phase of allowing these androids on four, or more, wheels.  Driving technology is finally about to catch up to the dreams of most people with an imagination.

Apparently the almighty dollar is speaking quite loudly for many states as this developing industry of driverless cars is supposedly worth an estimated $20 billion dollars, globally.  According to the New York Times there are currently 15 big name investors in this field, including large car manufacturers such as Ford, Honda, General Motors and Toyota who have all pledged $1 million each towards building a site in Michigan for testing purposes (this has to be a team effort- incompatibility could be deadly).

Currently no state has a law prohibiting self-driving cars, though some are passing laws to make it easier for car manufacturers to work within their state.

Here are the four states that have passed laws allowing autonomous vehicles-

California
Florida
Michigan
Nevada
Texas
Virginia

Texas and Virginia are unique cases as in these states, Google is going forward with development of autonomous vehicles because there are no laws prohibiting these machine controlled cars.  According to the Washington Post, this last summer Google tested several retrofitted Lexus SUVs on the roads of Austin.  Virginia has designated several miles, about 70, for testing of autonomous vehicles.

What is worrisome about these developments is the fact that there are still bugs in the software.  Reportedly, Google’s vehicles can handle deer but cannot understand what a bicyclist is.  That is a serious concern, especially in the warmer months as more people are working on getting in, or maintaining their, shape.

How will driving insurance work with these cars that auto drive themselves around?  How will the car business evolve to accept these new developments?  The autonomous car is interesting but scary.

What will happen to other drivers that are not used to seeing an oncoming car without a person in the driver’s seat? Will autonomous vehicles be sold to the public or will they remain property of the manufacturer and only rented to the public?  How will police handle accidents involving autonomous vehicles?  Who will they give the ticket to in the event that it is a double fault situation?

There are a lot of questions involving autonomous vehicles and so far, no one has an answer- they are too busy just getting these things working at this point.

Some information for this article was sourced from:
New York Times
Washington Post

Apparently the almighty dollar is speaking quite loudly for many states as this developing industry of driverless cars is supposedly worth an estimated $20 billion dollars, globally.  According to the New York Times there are currently 15 big name investors in this field, including large car manufacturers such as Ford, Honda, General Motors and Toyota who have all pledged $1 million each towards building a site in Michigan for testing purposes (this has to be a team effort- incompatibility could be deadly).

Currently no state has a law prohibiting self-driving cars, though some are passing laws to make it easier for car manufacturers to work within their state.

Here are the four states that have passed laws allowing autonomous vehicles-

California
Florida
Michigan
Nevada
Texas
Virginia

Texas and Virginia are unique cases as in these states, Google is going forward with development of autonomous vehicles because there are no laws prohibiting these machine controlled cars.  According to the Washington Post, this last summer Google tested several retrofitted Lexus SUVs on the roads of Austin.  Virginia has designated several miles, about 70, for testing of autonomous vehicles.

What is worrisome about these developments is the fact that there are still bugs in the software.  Reportedly, Google’s vehicles can handle deer but cannot understand what a bicyclist is.  That is a serious concern, especially in the warmer months as more people are working on getting in, or maintaining their, shape.

What will happen to other drivers that are not used to seeing an oncoming car without a person in the driver’s seat? Will autonomous vehicles be sold to the public or will they remain property of the manufacturer and only rented to the public?  How will police handle accidents involving autonomous vehicles?  Who will they give the ticket to in the event that it is a double-fault situation?

There are a lot of questions involving autonomous vehicles and so far, no one has an answer- they are too busy just getting these things working at this point.

Some information for this article was sourced from:
New York Times
Washington Post