A Reality Check for Driverless Cars

For autonomous vehicles to roam the freeway, infrastructure and the law will need to accelerate and catch up with innovation, experts say.

1 minute read

June 21, 2011, 9:00 AM PDT

By Jeff Jamawat


The fact of the matter is people know that technology of the kind exists, which begs the question: What's the holdup?

The problem, Eric Jaffe points out, is antiquated traffic laws.

"Right now autonomous vehicles are illegal in every state. Before they can gain access to the road we must rewrite just about all our current driving codes, which take for granted that a person is behind the wheel," he says.

Tyler Cowen of George Mason University weighs in, "[T]ransportation is one area where progress has been slow for decades." He continues, "That debate on this issue is so quiet shows the urgency of doing something now."

Monday, June 20, 2011 in The Infrastructurist

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

June 4, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Metrorail train pulling into newly opened subterranean station in Washington, D.C. with crowd on platform taking photos.

Congressman Proposes Bill to Rename DC Metro “Trump Train”

The Make Autorail Great Again Act would withhold federal funding to the system until the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), rebrands as the Washington Metropolitan Authority for Greater Access (WMAGA).

June 2, 2025 - The Hill

White and yellow DART light rail train in Dallas, Texas with brick building in background.

DARTSpace Platform Streamlines Dallas TOD Application Process

The Dallas transit agency hopes a shorter permitting timeline will boost transit-oriented development around rail stations.

May 28, 2025 - Mass Transit

Close-up on older woman holding contented looking cat on her lap.

Porches, Pets, and the People We Grow Old With

Neighborhood connections and animal companions matter to aging with dignity, and how we build can support them. Here’s a human-scale proposal for aging in place.

30 minutes ago - Shelterforce Magazine

Concrete staircase next to elevator in bright building with large windows.

Single-Stair Design Contest Envisions Human-Scale Buildings

Single-stair building construction is having a resurgence in the United States, where, for the last several decades, zoning codes have required more than one staircase in multi-story housing developments.

1 hour ago - Congress For New Urbanism

Close-up on silver Tesla logo on black car hood dotted with raindrops.

Tesla Protests Release of Documents About Austin Robotaxi Launch

The company seeks to block the release of emails with city officials on the grounds they could contain confidential information and trade secrets.

2 hours ago - Reuters

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.