Most car manufacturers include autonomous technology inside their vehicles. It is to follow the current trend of supporting the automatons movement.
However, it is not much known about the legalities of being in a car that drives itself. So many things that the public still doesn’t know about it. First, there are levels of automatons. Level 0 is the full manual then level 5 is a full automaton that doesn’t need any human driver.
Up to this day, the regulation only allows up to levels 3 and 4 that have high automation but still need human drivers as the automatons allowed on the road.
Are driverless cars legal?
In all technicality, driverless cars are legal to have. However, some states and countries still have restrictions on having AI behind the wheels. Some states only have executive orders on this matter, making the cars as allowed, but no actual legal status.
Some countries such as Japan and New Zealand have passed the law regulating Level 3 autonomous on the road. New Zealand even plans to have driverless vehicles as public transports in Christchurch.
Is Tesla a driverless car?
You sure know Tesla as the first car that promotes a self-driving feature. And so far, Tesla is one of the few cars in the market with a level 4 automaton system in their vehicles.
If you want to, you can have Tesla in full automaton mode. They claim that the level 5 full automaton is ready in their cars. But keep in mind that it’s still illegal to have a level 5 on the road.
There are still not enough tests to show that it is safe to have full driverless vehicles on the road. But in short, Tesla has the system and thus can be a driverless car.
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Which country has driverless cars?
Other than the United States, you can see autonomous cars all over the world. Don’t forget that most manufacturers have broached this technology.
You can experience driverless vehicles in big cities in China, Japan, Australia, and several European countries. These countries have passed the law regulating up to level 4 autonomous automotive. Keep in mind that no country has allowed a level 5 or full automaton on the road.
How much is a driverless car?
Surprisingly, they are not as expensive as you may think. To be fair almost all car manufacturers have autonomous features in their products. Therefore, you won’t see a lot of price differences.
The cars can starts at $30000 which is a standard price for a car. You need to pay more for each upgrade. Eventually, it depends on how much autonomy that you want. Of course, a full automaton means it will cost a lot more. For example, Tesla will charge you an extra $10000 for the full feature.
Google’s Driverless car
After so many name changes, the project settled with Waymo. The company eventually settles as a subsidiary of Google’s parent company. And for the time being is in working partnerships with several manufacturers such as Volvo, Renault, Daimler, and Jaguar.
By 2018, Waymo has been continuing what Google’s car project started almost a decade prior. They are doing extensive tests in about 30 cities across the US. Mainly working on passing level 4 automaton. That way, their other projects such as trucking and deliveries to happen faster.
Who is liable for self-driving cars?
The liability for a self driving car is still a hot issue. The law and regulation are still evolving following the recent bills allowing higher-level automatons to be in the market.
In the time being, both the tort and product liability are still in effect. In case of a crash, the investigation will see if it’s a product defect or a disorderly driver. Only after that will figure out who is the responsible party. If the incident involves a higher level automaton, then it will be the manufacturer’s responsibility.
Who is to blame for driverless cars accident?
In 2017, there was a case of an Uber driverless car hit a pedestrian who was walking her bike. Tesla and Waymo have similar cases during testing. In some of those incidents, someone was behind the wheel.
You need to know the situation that prompted the accident to occur. That is the only way to know whom to blame for any driverless accident. Some cases show that some malfunctions are happening in the vehicle. And some other cases show that the system works just fine, but it lacks the human senses and responses to avoid the situation.
Do self-driving cars pull over for emergency vehicles?
The automaton vehicles have all the top pieces of equipment to follow the road rules to the letter. Theoretically, they can pull over when there was an emergency vehicle behind them.
However, only Waymo claims to have the AI sensor to recognizes the emergency vehicles’ lights and sirens. Based on their guide, the Waymo will pull over and rolled down the window. And have the person talk with the AI or a guide inside the car. If there was a passenger, the Waymo service will explain the situation to the officer.
Driverless Car Pros and Cons
Many pros and cons are surrounding this technology. It is the common reaction to a new technology that is still not yet known.
The main advantage of the driverless car is that the possibility of fewer accidents. It also means that disabled people can drive around and be less reliant on other people.
Driverless cars also promote a safer street to drive. With technology that can sense any road bumps and read road signs perfectly in any situation. It also can protect those who live alone.
However, regulating a new technology is very tricky. The law has to do thorough reviews to be fair. They must consider a lot of options for that matter.
The testing’s are mostly favourable, but there are still a lot of hurdles on having level 3 and 4 automatons on the road. These cars may be able to drive on tricky hairpin-like roads. But they also can misread the white lines and bump into the sidewalk.
