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Permits for Self-Driving Cars a ‘Game-Changer,’ DMV Official Says

Three companies now have permits -- Volkswagen, Mercedes and Google -- which will put a total of 29 self-driving vehicles on the road. Twenty-five Lexus SUVs are in Google’s fleet, along with two vehicles apiece for Mercedes and Volkswagen.

The Department of Motor Vehicles on Wednesday approved permits for the Volkswagen Group of America, Mercedes and Google to test autonomous vehicles in California, as regulations governing automated driving in California went into effect for the first time.

A handful of other companies are working on completing their permit applications and the department will evaluate them as they come in, DMV Deputy Director Bernard Soriano told TechWire on Wednesday.

Automakers and technology companies have been trying out self-driving cars in California as far back as 2010. Google alone has driven an estimated 700,000 miles on California roadways in test vehicles carrying an array of lasers, sensors and telemetry.

But the testing in California had been a legal gray area and was mostly unregulated. Two years ago SB 1298 required the state to adopt formal rules for testing no later than 2015. Soriano said he is amazed how quickly it all came together.

“When SB 1298 was working its way through, everyone thought that the technology was quite a number of years away – and we were all very surprised as we met with the car manufacturers and industry, about how far along the technology really is,” Soriano said.

“Getting a chance to see the technology up close and being able to experience it is mind-boggling. It’s exciting to be working on this because we’re on the cusp of societal change. I’m not one to use hyperbole, but this one is a game-changer. It will change the way we function as a society, for the better.”

The three companies that now have permits will put a total of 29 self-driving vehicles on the road — 25 Lexus SUVs in Google’s fleet, along with two vehicles apiece for Mercedes and Volkswagen.

First and foremost, the new testing rules (download) require a driver to be present in the driver’s seat and have access to manual controls – a steering wheel — in case the technology malfunctions.

The companies must record data on any unexpected disengagement of the automated driving technology, and report those occurrences to the DMV. “So as they’re testing it if something happens that they don’t expect to happen, they need to tell us about it,” Soriano said.

The drivers also must be enrolled in the DMV’s Employer Pull Notice Program, which notifies a company when its driver receives a traffic citation. The test drivers must not have more one point on their driver’s license during the past three years and cannot be an at-fault driver in a crash during the same span. They cannot have a DUI conviction on their record during the past 10 years.

In addition, the companies are required to carry an insurance policy of at least $5 million in case of damage, personal injury or death.

Reaction came swiftly on Wednesday to the new regulations and testing permits. State Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Pacioma), who introduced SB 1298 two years ago, said in a statement that California is the global leader in autonomous technology: “Today this technology takes a bold step forward. Driverless vehicles will revolutionize transportation, reduce traffic accidents and save lives. Establishing safety standards for these vehicles is an essential step in that process.”

Audi of America, part of the Volkswagen Group, said Wednesday its autonomous driving technology could be ready for consumers within five years. “Obtaining the first permit issued by the State of California shows that we intend to remain the leader in this vital technology frontier,” said Scott Keogh, president of Audi of America.

On Monday, Google explained how it’s adapting to the new rules at its test track at NASA’s Moffett Field:

We knew that California law would require any vehicles still being tested to have manual controls, so we’ve had a plan ready. After each vehicle is assembled, we fit a temporary steering wheel and set of controls into it. We’ll remove these manual controls after the prototypes have finished being tested and permitted, because our vehicles are ultimately designed to operate without a human driver.
Soriano said the rules were a team effort among several DMV officials, the California Highway Patrol, California Department of Insurance, Caltrans, the California Office of Traffic and Safety, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, automakers and academia.

Several big issues are yet to be resolved, chief among them if and when a person will be required to sit in the driver’s seat and be attentive.

During a public hearing in San Jose on Monday, Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones said there are unanswered questions, such as who should be held responsible when an automated or semi-automated car is involved in a traffic infraction or an accident.

“What we’re really ultimately grappling with on the insurance side is liability – who in this chain of commerce, running from the moment of design and manufacture all the way to the driver, might be held liable in the event of an accident, and is there insurance to make sure all of those actors have something to fall back on to make sure they are not wiped out financially,” Jones said.

At the hearing, Soriano said DMV is continuing to work on “deployment regulations” that would allow companies to bring autonomous vehicles to the general public and set requirements for people operating them. He said DMV hopes to soon make these proposed regulation available for public comment.

Soriano added during his testimony that DMV is contemplating a special license plate that would identify an autonomous vehicle.

This story was originally published by TechWire, a sister publication to Government Technology that covers IT in California state and local government.