Brown Signs Self-Driving Vehicle Bill

Will physically driving a car someday be a thing of the past?

California Governor Jerry Brown signed legislation yesterday paving the way for autonomous vehicles. Brown literally rode to Google headquarters in a self-driven Toyota Prius before signing SB 1298. The legislation requires the California Department of Motor Vehicles to draft regulations for self driving vehicles by Jan. 1, 2015. Currently, state law doesn’t mention self-driving cars because the technology is so new.

Google has a fleet of self driving vehicles that has already logged 300,000 test miles on California’s roads and highways. At the bill signing, Brown stated, “Today we’re looking at science fiction, becoming tomorrow’s reality.”

SB 1298 also creates an application and review process for self driving cars, establishes safety and performance standards, and allows a licensed driver to test drive an autonomous vehicle.