Latest to Open the Roads to Driverless Cars: Washington D.C.

Martin Austemuhle details the recent actions of Washington D.C. policymakers to establish a set of rules regarding the use of the autonomous vehicles, or driverless cars, of the future.

“On Friday, the D.C. Department of Motor Vehicles published a set of proposed rules that would govern the use of so-called autonomous vehicles — cars that have the ability to drive themselves. If the rules are adopted, D.C. would join a small number of states — including California, Florida[,] Michigan, and Nevada — that allow the cars to be used,” reports Austemuhle.

Among the regulations for the operation of driverless cars proposed by Washington D.C.: a requirement for a special endorsement from the D.C. Department of Motor Vehicles. The endorsement would require verification that the driverless controls could be overridden manually if necessary.

In June 2013, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued the federal government's initial policy to pave the way for driverless cars. Nevada was the first state to allow driverless cars, back in February 2012.