Pre-Market Approval Floating and 18 for California

California issued its 18th permit to test driverless vehicles to NextEV, a company that is also receiving millions in tax credits for creating jobs in the state's zero-emission industry. I have read a few sources, but they are repeats of press-release-speak and without real details.

Real debate

The real news is the bubbles of unhappiness floating to the surface with California's new proposed driverless regulations and the proposed NHTSA guidelines out of Washington, DC. Toyota is grousing about the possibility of pre-market approval of driverless vehicles and a 15-point safety checklist included in the proposed guidelines. 

We test 16 year olds before they can go out on the road alone and we inspect vehicles at least once a year (my state does) , so perhaps a road-ready inspection system for driverless vehicles is not unreasonable. Total bull that a technology-agnostic testing requirement would necessarily stifle innovation. Like lawsuits are efficient in this regard? Then you have, effectively, regulation by jurors and judges, who know nothing about technology, but generally prefer the little guy defendant.

Pre-market approval

Right now, the argument is, as legal speak would term this, not yet ripe. It would take an act of Congress to grant pre-market approval authority to NHTSA. NHTSA can talk of this possibility, but it has no power at this time to implement such a process. 

From a substantive angle, the other side of the argument is that government will take too long, be inefficient, and blah, blah, blah ruin the auto industry or words to that effect. It's not too often the auto industry begs for government regulation, so excuse me for thinking of Toyota's response as pretty much a knee-jerk reaction.

Interesting that there has been no public word from David Strickland of the Self-Driving Coalition for Safer Streets and its tech and auto industry players. No doubt they are working behind the scenes.

Maybe the auto and tech companies should not fight every government requirement. Makes them look unreasonable to most people, as in people who know little to nothing about the details of driverless technology. 

FYI: Decided not to post the video of the self-driving tricycle - without a seat - that is able to go around in circles. The trike is being developed at the University of Washington Bothell.