Whether you are for or against self-driving cars, if you live in the Keystone state, they are coming. Self-driving startup Aurora is the first company to receive Pennsylvania’s blessing to test autonomous vehicles on its roads. It’s actually been trialing the technology on the streets of Pittsburgh since 2017, but the state only released its automated vehicle testing guidance in July.
Even though automakers aren’t required to register, Aurora voluntarily complied with the government’s request, which will give the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation access to information about its test results and conditions, the safety measures it takes, the vetting and training of vehicle operators and the internal details about how its self-driving system works.
Don’t worry too much though, because Aurora’s test vehicles will have human drivers behind the wheel. These are vetted employees that undergo 12 weeks of training. So they should be capable of dealing with anything. The data Aurora will provide the state can help them get ready for further tests without human drivers in the future. After all the aim is to get truly autonomous cars on the road at some point.
Many are against this on principle, but others believe the technology is capable of being safe.
Source Engadget
Filed Under: Technology News