According to news sources, the state of Nevada will be the first in the nation to start awarding robotic driving permits to driverless vehicles, a major step towards a future where robots lead the way and distracted driving becomes largely a thing of the past.
Starting March 1, companies can begin applying for special permits to allow self driving vehicles to legally cruise around Nevada roads. “The test vehicles will be Nevada’s first red license plate since the 1940s,” said Bruce Breslow, director of the Nevada DMV. These red licenses will help alert other motorists that a “student robot” is in control the vehicle.
Google reportedly lobbied the state Legislature to make such driving activities explicitly legal. The company’s driverless vehicles had already registered over 200,000 miles of travel over California and Nevada highways and streets, albeit in a sort of a legal limbo. The testing of these driverless vehicles took place without permission, due to the lack of a legal framework regulating such practices.
Additional states are also soon likely to follow suit in creating a licensing system for these types of vehicles, with Hawaii, Florida, and Oklahoma already considering similar legislation.
As a San Bernardino car accident lawyer, I appreciate all efforts made to ensure higher safety standards to protect motorists and pedestrians. The objectives of this endeavor will hopefully help achieve increased safety. As a personal injury lawyer San Bernardino, I hope that supplying this information will help raise awareness about this exciting new technology.
