Vehicles without steering wheels, brake pedals, or even drivers are now allowed to operate on public roads in Michigan.
Today, Gov. Rick Snyder signed a package of auto industry-backed legislation that permits automakers and technology companies to develop, test and even sell autonomous vehicles in the Mitten State. The policy even enables autonomous ride-hailing services, provided that the vehicles have undergone certification.
Michigan is now the wild frontier for self-aware cars.
“By establishing guidelines and standards for self-driving vehicles, we’re continuing that tradition of excellence in a way that protects the public’s safety while at the same time allows the mobility industry to grow without overly burdensome regulations,” Snyder said in a statement today.
Effective regulation has been a slippery fish, however. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration outlined a 15-point voluntary plan for automakers in September that met with fairly mixed feedback. One of the biggest criticisms being that the NHTSA’s guidelines aren’t specific enough and that the plan’s voluntary nature makes it impossible to enforce.
The new laws have garnered approval from General Motors, Ford, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Toyota, Google, Uber, and Lyft.
“The enactment of this legislation affords Michigan the opportunity to be at the forefront of the next major transition in the automotive industry and should serve as a model for other states,” GM said in a statement.
As a “model” state, Michigan’s legislation lets companies use their technology much more liberally. California has also passed passed regulations that only allows for vehicle testing and requires a human to be present in the driver’s seat at all times. Michigan State officials feel the more relaxed regulations should encourage automakers to stay, making it an industry leader.
“We view this legislation as Michigan getting government out of the way of technology and letting it be deployed when it’s ready, but at the same time in a manner that keeps people accountable for keeping people safe on roads,” Michigan Department of Transportation director Kirk Steudle told Forbes. “There’s 100 years of history of automobile companies in Michigan putting test vehicles on the road and putting safe vehicles out.”
Not everyone in the auto industry is happy, however. Uber has taken issue with the contents of one of the bills (SB 996), which allows only motor vehicle manufacturers to participate in an initiative that permits a deployment of on-demand self-driving taxis.
“We oppose SB 996 (the ‘SAVE Act’) and its anti-tech protectionist elements, but SB 995 helps resolve many of those issues, and we appreciate the state enacting those improvements,” an Uber spokeswoman said Friday. “Ultimately, we think it is early in the life of this technology to prescribe state laws, and while these bills may work for Michigan, we do not think they are something other states should use as a model.”
Early or not, it’s just a matter of time before some poor Michigander is terrified by the sight of an empty automobile cruising down the highway in the middle of the night.
[Source: Mlive] [Image: Michigan.gov]
Screw Über
Now that autonomous cars are legal might as well legalize cannabis.
More beer.
Hmm, Wisconsin should legalize autonomous cars.
I demand a federal crisis priority-1 emergency batsh*t manic push that would make the Manhattan Project, Cold War and Space Race seem weekend hobbies to convert the entirety of American vehicular traffic to full AV before I’m too old to care.
And if I can’t have that I want a minigun.
OldManPants – I’m thinking EV’s are going to be pretty low on that priority list. You stand a better chance of getting a minigun out of this government.
Go to the Canadian Embassy and ask for “political asylum” from the looming asylum.
Lou, would Canada let me keep the minigun?
OldManPants – someone has to patrol our side of the wall ;)
>> …and even sell autonomous vehicles in the Mitten State
Well, as long as it’s through a dealer.
Yes, at least Tesla’s ‘predatory’ sales practices won’t enable this madness.
I can’t wait to start spooking autonomous cars. A balloon attached to a rock thrown out of the window surely will do
Just because I get my AV don’t mean I ain’t still got the minigun.
Attach a mannikin to your bumper to make it think you’re a pedestrian crossing the street.
There are already too many people in Michigan as is. This might help.
One thing that isn’t in Michigan is the picture of that highway. That looks like an autobahn.
When I first saw the photo, I thought it was smog on a road in China. Either way, the photo doesn’t capture the Michigan-ness nor the self-driving-ness of the headline.
When did the Wolverine State become the Mitten State ?’
December through March :-)
Will empty self-driving cars be kind enough to offer rides to hitchhikers?
There is no way that you can bin this decision other than [rushed].
The road-going “certification” cannot possibly be thorough enough without a very carefully thought out and funded system. Where is the money and bullet-proof regulation?
It is foolish and reckless…this decision WILL impact every single Michiganite…And yes, Michigan may now be out-of-the-way…but now it will likely be an innocent pedestrian or bicyclist that is in the line of fire.
Building an empty car that is more reliable that a good human driver is many orders of magnitude more complex than building a “safe vehicle” when crash test type conditions are the metric.
Absolutely, this is year-end rushed policy making. I’ve noticed a weirdness and the end of every year — not the usual holiday madness, mind you.
Mutual funds practice “window dressing” to make their numbers look better, and car dealerships do similarly. Oil contracts expire so you get the aggressive corporate behavior in Dakota. And on a personal level, project managers push projects out the door before they are ready.
As @shaker says below, it’s all about the (short-term) money.
Apparently, some insurance companies have decided that mechanized carnage will be less costly to them than meat-sack caused carnage.
You know it’s all about the money.
I’m pretty sure that self-aware cars are even farther out than self-driving ones.
PeriSoft – true since we aren’t yet capable of producing self-aware drivers.
Westworld here we come!
You can schtook an autonomous car?
It doesn’t look like anything to me.
[Well,someone had to do it. OK, OK, I’m leaving….]
this may well add up to a larger problem than a combination of Flint water and GM ignitions. Snyder’s legacy is already tarnished, this destroys it. just hope you or your family aren’t the sacrificial lambs. this genie goes back in the bottle once Geoffrey, Sam, and Lee move past chops licking and sink their teeth into some prime meat.
“Geoffrey, Sam, and Lee”
Who dat? Not more baruths, I hope.
Oh shove it.
KMA
Now, that is scary. It is well known most Detroit vehicles suffer from quality problems. Up till this point, the quality problems mostly cost the owner excessive repair money. Going forward, Detroit quality problems will result in runaway vehicles killing and maiming people. One good quality problem in the software or sensors will put Detroit out of business. Detroit will be unable to pay all the billions in lawsuits.
Yeah because nobody else has quality glitches other than Ford and Gm right? I have a nice big bridge to sell you.