Self-driving cars will be legal to be tested on the public road of Nevada starting March 1, as the Legislative Commission of the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) approved regulations allowing such vehicles.
Companies have been already investing in autonomous technology, with Google reported of having logged some 160,000 miles already without a serious incident. Other carmakers, such as Audi, Volkswagan, BMW, and General Motors have also entered the field.
The approval in Nevada would be a major leap in the development of self-driving cars, as it is the first state in the nation to allow real-life test on the road alongside other drivers.
“Nevada is the first state to embrace what is surely the future of automobiles,” said Bruce Breslow, the director of Nevada DMV. “These regulations establish requirements companies must meet to test their vehicles on Nevada’s public roadways as well as requirements for residents to legally operate them in the future.”
In addition to a $100 application fee, companies have to post a bond between $1 million to $3 million to be eligible.
For now, autonomous vehicles will be distinguished from the rest by having a red license plate during the testing phase. When the cars are approved to public, they will have neon-green license plates.
The regulation requires at least two operators on the vehicle to be “able to take control” while driving the car. An aircraft’s black-box-like data collectors must also be installed to “capture and store the autonomous technology sensor data for at least 30 seconds before a collision.”
Although operators in the self-driving vehicles can legally text or talk on the phone while driving, drinking and driving is still banned.
“There is no exemption for drinking and driving,” said Breslow.
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