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Google asked the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for clarification on its self-driving vehicles, after the US announced plans to increase the number of driverless cars on its roads.
The government agency said that it would classify Google's artificial intelligence system as the driver of its cars.
The move is seen as a first step towards changing the law for cars that have "no need for a human driver", so that they can meet safety standards for driving on public roads without a steering wheel or conventional brake pedal.
"NHTSA will interpret 'driver' in the context of Google's described motor vehicle design as referring to the self-driving system, and not to any of the vehicle occupants," explained the government agency in a letter, which has now been published online.
"We agree with Google its [self-driving vehicle] will not have a 'driver' in the traditional sense that vehicles have had drivers during the last more than one hundred years."
The agency said that no human occupant of Google's self-driving vehicle could meet the current definition of a "driver" in current US law, due to the car's design.
"Even if it were possible for a human occupant to determine the location of Google's steering control system, and sit 'immediately behind' it, that human occupant would not be capable of actually driving the vehicle as described by Google," said the NHTSA.
"If no human occupant of the vehicle can actually drive the vehicle, it is more reasonable to identify the 'driver' as whatever (as opposed to whoever) is doing the driving."
Google’s self-driving car system has been officially recognised as a driver in the US, paving the way for the legalisation of autonomous vehicles.
Google asked the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for clarification on its self-driving vehicles, after the US announced plans to increase the number of driverless cars on its roads.
The government agency said that it would classify Google's artificial intelligence system as the driver of its cars.
The move is seen as a first step towards changing the law for cars that have "no need for a human driver", so that they can meet safety standards for driving on public roads without a steering wheel or conventional brake pedal.
"NHTSA will interpret 'driver' in the context of Google's described motor vehicle design as referring to the self-driving system, and not to any of the vehicle occupants," explained the government agency in a letter, which has now been published online.
"We agree with Google its [self-driving vehicle] will not have a 'driver' in the traditional sense that vehicles have had drivers during the last more than one hundred years."
The agency said that no human occupant of Google's self-driving vehicle could meet the current definition of a "driver" in current US law, due to the car's design.
"Even if it were possible for a human occupant to determine the location of Google's steering control system, and sit 'immediately behind' it, that human occupant would not be capable of actually driving the vehicle as described by Google," said the NHTSA.
"If no human occupant of the vehicle can actually drive the vehicle, it is more reasonable to identify the 'driver' as whatever (as opposed to whoever) is doing the driving."
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