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posted by Fnord666 on Sunday December 11 2016, @04:58AM   Printer-friendly
from the henry-ford-approved dept.

In an effort to remain the center of U.S. automotive development, Michigan has passed the most comprehensive self-driving vehicle regulations in the country:

Michigan, in a race with Silicon Valley for supremacy in autonomous autos, today enacted legislation that it said is the first in the U.S. to establish comprehensive regulations for testing, use and eventual sale of self-driving cars.

Governor Rick Snyder signed a law that defines how self-driving cars can be used on public roads in testing and commercial deployment, the Michigan Economic Development Corp. said in a statement. The law allows public road testing of vehicles without steering wheels, gas or brake pedals or any need for human control. It lets auto and tech companies operate driverless ride-sharing services and also lays out rules for how self-driving cars can be sold to the public once the technology has been tested and certified. "Michigan is the global center for automotive technology and development," Snyder said in the statement. "By establishing guidelines and standards for self-driving vehicles, we're continuing that tradition."


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  • (Score: 2) by jmorris on Sunday December 11 2016, @05:38AM

    by jmorris (4844) on Sunday December 11 2016, @05:38AM (#439903)

    So long as they aren't waiving any of the liability laws and the self driving cars are fully insured then why not? Not that it matters, the companies testing them have really deep pockets and good luck keeping he lawyers away from that honeypot if somebody gets hurt.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 11 2016, @06:05AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 11 2016, @06:05AM (#439907)

    Better make those self-driving armored vehicles, because the unemployed unemployable splatterpunks with nothing better to do will vandalize your precious autonomous autos.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 11 2016, @06:22AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 11 2016, @06:22AM (#439911)

      Oh no! You mean a self-driving car needs to be sturdier than a cheap plastic phone?? Shit shit shit. Back to the fucking drawing board.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 11 2016, @03:10PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 11 2016, @03:10PM (#439981)

      > Splatterpunks

      You keep using that word.
      I do not think it means [wikipedia.org] what you think it means.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 11 2016, @03:47PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 11 2016, @03:47PM (#439987)

    I'd like to see a substantial tax enacted on transport of human beings by autonomous vehicles of any kind (automotive, planes, trains, boats); this would apply to private as well as commercial trips.

    Let's say 50 cents per passenger-mile, or $5 per mile for cargo transport. It could be enacted and collected either at the Federal or state level. Some reasonable exceptions (e.g. emergency trips) could be carved out.

    Human beings need regular practice piloting their transport systems; that's part of who we are. Yes, humans are imperfect and are prone to accidents, probably more than we'd have with drones after they've been perfected, but that's part of the maturity process of being an adult member of society. Adults can't just sit in the back seat playing with your electronic gear all day.

    That's why.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 11 2016, @04:34PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 11 2016, @04:34PM (#439999)

      Humans didn't evolve to drive cars, and until recently, there were many functioning adults that hadn't touched a horse-driven wagon, carriage, or automobile. Driving does not mean maturity and your tax proposal will never fly. We will however play with iPads and fuck in the back seat all day long. You won't deny us our utopia.

    • (Score: 1) by anubi on Monday December 12 2016, @06:19AM

      by anubi (2828) on Monday December 12 2016, @06:19AM (#440235) Journal

      I disagree, responding with comment.

      This to me is almost like people with their business models centered around horses going after automakers the same way.

      My main concern about autonomous drivers is the same with javascript: they will lobby our Government to have their stuff held harmless because a machine is involved.

      I am still quite pissed about our Government granting the protection of the DMCA while not demanding accountability for what the protected stuff does in return.

      --
      "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]
  • (Score: 1) by MilanorTSW on Monday December 12 2016, @03:31AM

    by MilanorTSW (3072) on Monday December 12 2016, @03:31AM (#440198)

    No, not because I am afraid of technology or anything like that. On paper, self-driving cars are great and amazing.

    What scares me is that the vast majority of Michiganders make their living as truck drivers. What will happen to a huge chunk of the state when self-driving trucks become reliable? What will happen to the tax money that the truck drivers pay?

    And it's not just Michigan, truck drivers make up most of the United States.

    Then we have taxi drivers, whom Uber will squeeze out. There is really something wrong when Uber operates at such a big loss. Either they plan to increase prices tenfold after they squeeze out cab companies or they plan to go full auto. Or both. Actually, probably both.