Here’s how California plans to regulate driverless cars
The specificity of these rules drives free-market advocates like the R Street Institute’s Ian Adams nuts. He prefers the approach of Arizona, which has attracted a lot of driverless car research to the state by taking a minimalist approach to regulation. He describes California’s regulations of self-driving cars as “one of the worst.”
Adams points out that some of California’s rules focus on vehicle design and safety issues, a domain that’s normally handled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. If NHTSA issues its own rules in this area in the next few years, those rules will preempt the requirements of California law, which could create a confusing situation for auto manufacturers.
