Who's Driving Tonight?

Won’t it be great when our cars can be the designated driver and we’re not left drawing straws to see who can’t drink on a Saturday night? When the wheel hub and bearing assembly are controlled by the car’s computer rather than a driver? It may have seemed like something out of a science fiction movie just years ago (cough, cough iRobot), but this idea is becoming more of a reality every day.

Google has been working on autonomous vehicles for a few years now, with several of their concepts already having logged over 160,000 miles in test runs. And how many accidents have been reported? Zero. Relying on what I assume to be a combination of the GPS system, cruise control, as well as sensors and cameras to detect other vehicles on the road, these cars have been testing in a sort of “legal limbo”. That is until this month when Nevada passed the first legislation that embraces what seems to be the future of the automobile industry. The new rules, which will allow autonomous vehicle testing in the state, still require there to be an “operator” available in case of a technical glitch. Yep, that means cars DD-ing you home will remain illegal for now (so no napping in the backseat while your car drives you home from the bar). However, you will be able to talk on your cell phone.

This technology is already available in many newer model cars. Companies like BMW and Audi have also been testing their self-driving systems which will probably appear for highway-only use in the coming years. The fact that Nevada recognizes this as the future and is adopting laws to aid its development is pretty awesome, and I’m sure in time other states will follow suit.  But for now, we wait.