German government allows testing of autonomous cars

The German government has approved a draft law which will allow autonomous cars to be tested on German roads.

Transport minister rules out garage licencing - Auto Retail Bulletin

Auto Retail Bulletin reports that the new transport minister, Robert Goodwill, has ruled out garage licensing for the time being. Is that any surprise? It has hardly been a popular idea with any government, as far back as I can remember, and a Conservative government might be expected to be less inclined to regulate than any other. But as the report makes clear, the landscape is changing: as autonomous cars get closer, the argument for regulating the repair industry in the same way as gas and electricity gets stronger. The issue is not going away, and we will be returning to it with increasing frequency in the future!

Self-parking cars hit legal obstacles - Telegraph

Self-parking cars hit legal obstacles, reports the Daily Telegraph, and 'ha, ha', is the immediate reaction - but it's more serious than that. While it remains an offence to leave the engine of a car running while there is no-one in the driving seat (a rule that, surely, no responsible person will ever have broken) the idea of a car that will park itself remains just that - an idea.

U.S. Department of Transportation Releases Policy on Automated Vehicle Development

The legal treatment of driverless or autonomous cars remains a fascinating area - so this press release from NHTSA will be of interest, even if it does not directly affect our law. And you can view NHTSA's statement of policy on automated vehicles.