Driverless cars now allowed on public roads in California

California governor Edmund G; Brown Jr. signed SB1298 on Tuesday, a new bill that creates the legal framework and operational safety standards for testing and operation of driverless cars on public roads. The regulation allows cars to operate autonomously, but requires a licensed driver behind to wheel to intervene in case of emergency.

Google's driverless car prototypes have driven over 300,000 miles without accident, and CEO Sergey Brin believes they can dramatically improve the quality of life for everyone, while being far safer than human-driven cars.

Autonomous cars were approved by the state of Nevada in May, and Arizona, Hawaii, Florida and Oklahoma are also in the process of creating a legal framework for this new type of car.

While the bill lets anyone move forward with their plans, it's clear from the ceremony that local technology darling Google is the primary impetus for the measure: Brown visited Google's Mountain View headquarters to put ink to paper, and Google co-founder Sergey Brin oversaw the signing with his Google Glass eyewear on full display. If you're dying to see driverless vehicles become mainstays of the Golden State, the official act making that possible is already available to watch after the break.

Source: Engadget