Driverless Cars
September 27, 2012 • By Alicia Ramsay

California became the third state to sign a bill legalizing computer-controlled vehicles on Tuesday, September 25.


"Today we're looking at science-fiction becoming tomorrow's reality," said California state Governor Jerry Brown who backed the legislation.


The bill was signed at Google's headquarters, which has been the testing home for the past several years for up to 12 driverless cars.


The bill requires the California Department of Motor Vehicles to draft regulations by 2015.


According to BBC World News, the cars are powered and controlled by a combination of sensors, location tracking and on board computing power. A licensed driver would still be mandatory to provide back-up emergency.


Such an advancement is a step up from the guided parking and adaptive cruise control that is already in use within the car industry.


"I think the self-driving car can really dramatically improve the quality of life for everyone," said Google co-founder Sergey Brin.


Although there are many who support the bill, there is some concern.


"Unfortunately, this legislation lacks any provision protecting an automaker whose car is converted to an autonomous operation vehicle without the consent or even knowledge of that auto manufacturer," said the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers.


Even in the midst of providing safety measures, there was one minor accident involving one of the vehicles in the summer of 2011.


Governor Brown is adhering to the new regulations in Nevada, the first state to pass a law for driverless cars earlier this year, followed by Florida.


According to Brin, the new technologically-advanced vehicles should be commercially available within the next decade.


Audi, Ford and Volvo are experimenting with the new technology.




Visitor Comments (1)
The Future!
Posted By LINGOSO on September 28, 2012
I wonder if it is wrong that I see the bad in this future invention. Even though it was said that you have to have a license in order to drive, I can still see people who wouldn’t abide by those rules. It can be a good thing for older people and stay at home mothers who didn’t get their license in their youth, and are not permitted to drive in their old age. I also think that children will take advantage of this new age technology, were going to see 13 year olds behind the wheel one day and it’s going to be scary. Not to mention the amount of people that will drink and drive, eat and do many other activities behind the wheel just because they can. People always take advantage of new privileges and I see that happening in the future.
Loading...
Related Articles · More Articles
There is a Senate investigation into Senator Ted Cruz and Senator Josh Hawley due to their alleged acts that may have contributed to the insurrection at the Capitol on Jan. 6. Here's an open letter to Senator Hawley.
The United States Citizenship and Immigration agency changed the Civics section of the Citizenship test on December 1, 2020 as part of a decennial update. Here is a copy of the new test
In less than two months, an exorbitant fee increase for some of the most common immigration procedures in America will go into effect on Oct. 2. Here is a list of the fees that will increase.