Lawmakers in Georgia rewrote a bill on autonomous cars which would make it easier for some of the industry’s biggest players to test their driverless cars on Georgia roads.
House Bill 248 would allow pilot projects for self-driving cars on public roads in certain areas. The originally drafted bill was criticized for being biased in favor of General Motors as it would have allowed only vehicle manufacturers to initiate pilot projects for autonomous vehicles. But the a substitute version of the bill unveiled recently would now allow companies such as Google, Uber and Lyft to compete on an equal footing.
It is being argued by the lawyers that autonomous vehicles would make the nation’s roads safer because they would eliminate driver error, which causes the overwhelming majority of accidents.
In absence of federal regulations for self-driving cars in place, states are assuming responsibility for ensuring the benefits of the technology can be reaped without sacrificing safety. Till now eight states have self-driving car laws, and bills have been introduced in 20 states this year.