An indication of the degree of acceptance in the use of driverless vehicles in Germany is the new legislation presently passed in the Bundestag, Germany’s lower house of parliament, that would allow driverless vehicles to ply public roads across the country from next year, 2022.
This new legal framework backing commercial operations of autonomous vehicles would undoubtedly be attractive to companies involved in autonomous commercial car-hailing and logistics services, fast-growing across the world. The new legislation, when passed, will allow autonomous vehicles to operate without the hitherto mandatory safety driver behind the wheels. Germany had seen some degree of autonomous vehicle testing with a safety driver behind the steering.
The proposed legislation will only become law after it is passed in Germany’s upper house of parliament. The details of the bill show that autonomous vehicles without a safety driver could be allowed to ply public roads after satisfying all the safety requirements for such operation. The bill also includes proposed initial applications for driverless cars on public roads, including passenger transport, logistics, company shuttles, and business and supply trips between medical facilities and retirement homes.
There are specific requirements from companies intending to enter the business to ensure safety and security. Few companies already carrying out autonomous testing in Germany may have gotten a head start when the law is eventually passed.
This year has seen a steep rise in the number of permits for self-driving cars on public roads in different parts of the world. China and the US have seen a substantial deployment of these autonomous vehicles in some cities. AutoX is currently deploying its robotaxis in several countries with a reasonable degree of success.
It is expected that the upper chamber of parliament also passes the regulation for it to become law in Germany.
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