Steve Mahan gets driven to Taco Bell.

Autonomous cars are soon to become even more commonplace in the United Sates, of America. Californian legislators have sent a bill to the governor’s desk that should push forward the development of autonomous cars in the Golden State.

Because self-driving cars are a relatively new concept to the real world, laws and regulations governing them haven’t really been concluded. For instance, there was slight confusion as to who was responsible last year when a Google self-driving car had an accident.

However, legislators are catching up: Nevada became the first US state to pass new rules dictating safety requirements for autonomous vehicles earlier this year and even issued its first special license plate for autonomous cars to Google back in May.

The new Californian bill requires the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles to “adopt new regulations”, including safety standards and “performance requirements” for new autonomous vehicles.

These rules “would permit autonomous vehicles to be operated or tested on the public roads in this state.”

The bill was unanimously passed by the Californian state senate on Wednesday, following a 72-4 vote from the state legislature earlier in the week. The text of the legislation says that autonomous vehicles “offer significant potential safety, mobility, and commercial benefits for individuals and businesses in the state and elsewhere.”

Steve, quietly enjoying his taco..

Soon, more people like Steve will be getting out and about on the road on their own.

Check out the short bill HERE.

[Source: Ars Technica]