Google will have to add a steering wheel and pedals to its self-driving cars in order to continue testing

A few weeks ago Google gave us a look at its self-driving car prototypes, and one of the things that drew the most attention was the absence of both a steering wheel and pedals. This innovation will have to wait a little, because Google has run into the new laws coming into force in California regarding this type of car, which will force it to make changes to its prototypes.

According to this regulation, which takes effect in mid-September, all autonomous vehicles that are in the testing phase must allow a human driver to take control of the vehicle immediately in the event of any problem. For this reason Google will have to add a steering wheel and pedals to its prototypes, although the company has indicated that this will not be a problem.

The officials responsible for setting traffic rules have had to get to work to regulate the circulation of self-driving cars, a new and unexpected situation not so long ago. Among the new requirements needed to test these cars, the requirement of an insurance policy of 5 million dollars to cover possible accidents stands out, as does the obligation that during testing the wheel be taken by experienced drivers who have not had problems behind the wheel and have not been involved in accidents with injured people.

For the moment, Google is working on 100 self-driving car prototypes with which to continue its tests, and adapting to these rules will only mean a small change, since they seem like minor requirements for a project as ambitious as this one.

Via | The Guardian