California Government to Allow Pilot Test of Driverless Cars Without Steering Wheels

The possibility of allowing the testing of driverless cars without steering wheels on Californian roads is gaining traction in the state's legislature according to a report by Tech Crunch.

A revision of California's Assembly Bill 1592  last Monday said that the State might allow: "the testing of autonomous vehicles that do not have a driver seated in the driver's seat and are not equipped with a steering wheel, a brake pedal, or an accelerator."

To permit the pilot tests, strict conditions must first be met. The self-driving vehicle is not allowed to go beyond 35 miles per hour during the pilot test. The cars can only run in approved areas i.e. "a privately owned business park designated by the authority, inclusive of public roads there."

The creation of truly driverless cars have gained momentum in the last three years as Silicon Valley giants like Tesla, Apple and Google have poured billions of dollars to create the world's first auto driving vehicle that can be mass produced for commercial and private use. Even legacy automakers like Ford have set up R&D stations in California to create their own driverless vehichle.

Tech Crunch speculates that California's decision to make it easier for tech companies to conduct pilot tests in designated public roads is a tactical move to encourage companies to stay in California and conduct business there for the long term, rather "than sending large employers, their R&D teams or manufacturing business overseas and to other states with a more favorable regulatory environment."

California isn't the only state that has allowed the pilot testing of driverless cars. Nevada, Florida, Michigan, Hawaii, Washington, Washington, D.C. and Tennessee also have put in place laws that allow the use or testing of self-driving vehicles on public roads.