Driverless cars have made an important step towards freedom.
A bill has been signed into law in California which legally allows driverless cars onto public roads without having a single human inside them.
That’s right, no drivers and now no passengers either. While it might sound slightly terrifying this is an important step for allowing driverless busses, taxis and utility vehicles to function.
California has been leading the regulation on self-driving vehicles and it currently allows public testing with over 15 automakers and technology companies all taking part.
What sets this decision apart from previous bills is that it now allows the creation of vehicles that won’t have a steering wheel, accelerator or brake.
Instead these will be fully-autonomous, designed purely to transport humans, equipment or perform automated tasks.
A French company Easymile has already taken advantage of the bill and will be deploying a fleet of driverless shuttles in a park in the city of San Ramon.
Easymile already use their driverless shuttles in Europe but will now be testing them in California for a period of six months.
Each shuttle can travel at up to 25mph. It’s believed that these types of vehicles will be the first real-world examples of driverless cars.