Nevada first State to Embrace Driverless Cars
Decades ago the phrase "look Ma, no hands" was generally used when talking about temporary hands-free driving of a bicycle, but fast-forward to 2012 and the phrase looks like it will have taken on an entirely new meaning.
If all goes as Google hopes, the next generation of teens will be saying this to their parents as they get behind the wheel.
For a while now the technology giant has been steadily test-driving and working hard to get its autonomous car closer to market, and this week made a substantial leap forward in this quest. On May 7, 2012, Google's driverless car was approved by the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles to be able to be tested on public streets.
Although, Nevada's DMV has put some restrictions on this approval. According to Fox News, DMV will require there to be at least two people in the cars during its test runs, one of which must be behind the wheel of the car.
Preliminary tests, which wereapproved earlierby the State of Nevada, have been conducted. This permission was given to Google in February, and Nevada was the first state in the U.S. to set rules for driverless cars.
About the regulations, Nevada DMV Director Bruce Breslow said, they had established "requirements companies must meet to test their vehicles on Nevada's public roadways as well as requirements for residents to legally operate them in the future," reportedFox 5.
Those tests proved to show the car was safe, even safer than when a human is in control of the car, as they are designed to eliminate the growing problem ofdistracted driving.
"It gets honked at more often because it's being safe," said Breslow, reported Fox News.
License plates have even already been established if the cars are a success. Nevada DMV said the tags would be green in color and have an infinity symbol to represent its status as "the car of the future."
The self-driving car is truly autonomous and does not need much, if any, intervention from a human, although drivers can take control if needed with a simple touch of the break or turn of the steering wheel. However, under regular use, the autonomous car uses laser radars which detect potential obstacles and then automatically steers out of the way.
If all continues to forge ahead as it has been, the U.S. may see driverless cars sooner than later. As of this time, most of the states in the nation have not yet established guidelines for this new technology, but it appears decision making time will need to arrive in the near future.
Aside from the fact technology keeps moving forward, it appears market demand may rapidly grow as well. These cars are not yet even on the market, however, a recent poll conducted byJ.D. Power and Associatesfound 1 in 5 people say they would "probably" or "definitely" purchase a car capable of driving itself.
