The package of bills signed into law on Friday have very few specific state regulations, leaving most decisions up to the automakers and tech companies like Google and Uber, according to Sci-Tech Today.
The legislation also allows companies to test autonomous taxi services and permits test parades of self-driving tractor-trailers, as long as there is a human in the cab. The law also will allow the sale of autonomous vehicles to the public, but only after they are tested and certified to be safe, reports CNBC News.
Governor Snyder says there aren’t a lot of nit-picking testing regulations in the legislation. This gives the automakers a certain amount of freedom and will allow the industry to move forward with developing life-saving technologies. “It makes Michigan a place where particularly for the auto industry it’s a good place to do work,” he said.
Michigan Transportation Director Kirk Steudle says Michigan’s laws place the state at the forefront of autonomous technology, with the possible exception of Florida in allowing companies to put driverless cars on the road. The law gives companies more autonomy in deciding when cars are ready for being on the road without a driver, reports the Associated Press.
Michigan feels that automotive companies have a long history of testing cars on Michigan’s highways, and there have been very few, if any incidents. They also have to comply with National Highway Traffic Safety Administration laws.
“I don’t want to regulate the vehicles. There is nobody in state government that has any knowledge to be able to say that a vehicle is ready to go on the road,” Steudle said.
Unlike California, Michigan will not be tracking autonomous vehicle crashes. The investigation of any accidents will be left to the police. The state concedes there will probably be a fatality involving autonomous cars but, “It’s a risk worth taking because the future of the technologies we know are going to help reduce those crashes and reduce those fatalities,” Steudle said.
