Illegal U-turn, But They Can’t Ticket

Another Case Where Regulations Do Not Keep Up With Technology Deployment

Autonomous cars have been evolving for quite a few years now. There has been a lot of discussion around issues of autonomous cars both pro and con.

But as usual regulations lag far behind deployment of new technologies. If we can’t deal with rather easy issues as driverless cars, what will the situation be surrounding complex technology issues such as robotics and artificial intelligence?

The often-stated pros include:

• Better safety
• Improved time and comfort for riders
• More efficient traffic
• Accessibility for driving-challenged people
• Reduced emissions
• Other

While the recognized cons are:

• Adequate communication among all of the cars
• Initial acquisition costs
• Adequate security to prevent malicious attacks
• Dealing with mixed traffic
• Other

All of these issues are receiving attention but there are still unanticipated consequences that occur such as this event in California. The police pulled over a vehicle for an illegal u- turn only to discover there was no one to give a ticket to. The self-driving Waymo car was the culprit.

The result was the no citation was given. A new area of liability was created and in now being considered.

Read about this event here.

Another Case Where Regulations Do Not Keep Up With Technology Deployment

Autonomous cars have been evolving for quite a few years now. There has been a lot of discussion around issues of autonomous cars both pro and con.

But as usual regulations lag far behind deployment of new technologies. If we can’t deal with rather easy issues as driverless cars, what will the situation be surrounding complex technology issues such as robotics and artificial intelligence?

The often-stated pros include:

• Better safety
• Improved time and comfort for riders
• More efficient traffic
• Accessibility for driving-challenged people
• Reduced emissions
• Other

While the recognized cons are:

• Adequate communication among all of the cars
• Initial acquisition costs
• Adequate security to prevent malicious attacks
• Dealing with mixed traffic
• Other

All of these issues are receiving attention but there are still unanticipated consequences that occur such as this event in California. The police pulled over a vehicle for an illegal u- turn only to discover there was no one to give a ticket to. The self-driving Waymo car was the culprit.

The result was the no citation was given. A new area of liability was created and in now being considered.

Read about this event here.