Companies can now test self-driving cars on Michigan public roads without a driver or steering wheel under new laws that could push the state to the forefront of autonomous vehicle development.
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The package of bills signed into law Friday comes with few specific state regulations and leaves many decisions up to automakers and companies like Google [whose self-driving vehicle is seen here] and Uber.
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It also allows automakers and tech companies to run autonomous taxi services and permits test parades of self-driving tractor-trailers as long as humans are in each truck. And they allow the sale of self-driving vehicles to the public once they are tested and certified, according to the state.
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The bills allow testing without burdensome regulations so the industry can move forward with potential life-saving technology, said Gov. Rick Snyder, who was to sign the bills. It makes Michigan a place where particularly for the auto industry it’s a good place to do work, he said.
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The bills give Michigan the potential to be a leader by giving the companies more autonomy than say, California, which now requires human backup drivers in case something goes awry.
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Here are answers to some questions about the laws:
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bQ/b: Companies are making a lot of the decisions in putting the cars on public roads. Why does the state think they’ll be safe?
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bA/b: Michigan Transportation Director Kirk Steudle says the laws put Michigan ahead of most other states with the possible exception of Florida in specifically allowing tests without a human driver. Companies, he said, will make the decision as to when the cars are ready for that, based on more than a century of experience of testing cars on public roads. Automakers have a long history of testing cars on public roads in Michigan with few, if any, incidents, Steudle says. The cars also have to…