Automakers and tech companies continue to work on the self-driving technology in order to deliver the systems to the public en masse by 2020. But unless they are given government coordinates as to what kind of regulations they must follow in order to develop vehicles that are approved by government officials, many companies may not have financial incentives to continue with the project.
According to a series of news reports, the same companies are now lobbying regulators to come up with a smooth pat for self-driving cars, helping them to develop safe vehicles for all.
During the first forum held by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on the autonomous car tech, parties involved had different opinions on whether the self-driving car revolution should be sped up or slowed down, but during this second forum, reports show, speakers involved united by urging regulators to implement few barriers to technology developers.
During the forum, which was held at Stanford University’s Center for Automotive Research, several tech companies and consumer watchdog organizations discussed the self-driving tech, using the time to join automakers such as Toyota and General Motors in urging regulators to allow for innovation and safety to come first.
Out of all groups, Google and Ford were among some of the voices urging regulators to allow them to develop self-driving vehicles without any steering wheels. But Consumer Watchdog’s representatives claim that allowing vehicles without any steering wheel to be sold openly in the marketplace could be dangerous.
Experts say that there have been at least three major barriers keeping tech companies and automakers from hitting the road, including the high cost of technological components, lack of public trust in the technology, and lack of governmental regulations put in place.
While trust in the technology has been growing, the lack of a regulatory framework forces companies to hesitate into getting deep into the technology. Unless the government gives these companies a list of requirements companies must meet, they will continue to postpone the developing of these technologies.
Unless auto safety regulators act by limiting the amount of barriers, these companies may have a hard time developing systems that help drivers avoid crashes. For more on this story, follow this link.
