States race to let autonomous cars drive alone

摘要

Nine states and the District of Columbia allow tests of self-driving vehicles on their roads if a licensed human driver is in the car and ready to grab the wheel or hit the brakes. Two states are paving the way for letting robo-cars drive alone. Florida enacted a groundbreaking law in April allowing autonomous vehicles to go without human drivers. And last week, the Michigan Senate unanimously passed similar legislation, with the House expected to shortly follow suit. The goal, backers of those bills say, is to give their states an edge in a fast-paced race to advance the autonomous vehicle industry. There's also a need, they say, to start moving beyond the state-by-state regulatory patchwork that stifles innovation by preventing crosscountry drives by autonomous cars.