The California Department of Motor Vehicles released on Wednesday a proposal regulating self-driving vehicles. One of the rules under the proposal is that there should be a human driver inside an autonomous car.
The regulations also requires a steering wheel on the self-driving car and a licensed driver ready to drive the vehicle if its machine malfunctions, according to Associated Press. The proposed rules disappointed Google which has designed a self-driving car that could accommodate two persons, reports USA Today.
The Google prototype lacks steering wheels and pedals. Other prototypes made by other vehicle makers that have tested their experimental cars in Mountain View, California, and Austin, Texas, have temporary wheels and pedals.
Google insists that safety is its highest priority, says Google spokesman Johnny Luu. He says in a statement, "In developing vehicles that can take anyone from A to B at the push of a button, we're helping to transform mobility for millions of people, whether by reducing the 94% of accidents caused by human error or bringing everyday destinations within reach of those who might otherwise be excluded by their inability to drive a car."
Google, which foresees its self-driving vehicles available to consumers within five or six years, says that if the proposal becomes a law in California, it would test their prototypes in other states.
In defense of the proposal, the California agency says, "Given the potential risk associated with deployment of such a new technology, DMV believes that manufacturers need to obtain more experience in testing driverless vehicles on public roads prior to making this technology available to the general public."