Driverless Vehicle Testing to Begin in New York

Driverless vehicles? Yeah, you heard right.

Technological innovation just keeps getting more advanced and New York is in support of one of the newest advances coming out: driverless vehicles. New York will be allowing companies to test driverless vehicles in the state during a year-long pilot program.

Governor Andrew Cuomo commented on the newest legislation and he is very supportive of the idea. “New York has emerged as one of the nation’s leading hubs for innovation, and as we invite companies and entrepreneurs to reimagine transportation technology, we will encourage the development of new, safe travel options for New Yorkers,” he stated. (News 10)

Now although this may be a huge deal for companies and they are eager to start testing these vehicles, there are certain requirements that companies must meet in order to do so. For instance, all vehicles being tested must have a $5 million insurance policy. Also, although these cars are driverless, it is required that a licensed driver still be in the driver’s seat during testing. More testing requirements and the application can be found here.

The law permitting these test will as of right now expire on April 1, 2018.