Page - (000175) - in Autonomes Fahren - Technische, rechtliche und gesellschaftliche Aspekte

1638.4 National and international legislative and political developments a very progressive state” [52]. In the Florida Senate, Republican Jeff Brandes sponsored an autonomous driving bill stating, “this legislation is about vision and leadership for the 21st Century world and forges a path for future innovative economic opportunities for Floridians” [42]. In September, when signing autonomous driving into law, California Governor Jerry Brown pointed out that he sees autonomous vehicles as “another example of how California’s technological leadership is turning today’s science fiction into tomor- row’s reality. (…) This law will allow California’s pioneering engineers to safely test and implement this amazing new technology” [2]. Noting that the state was slipping behind competitors, Michigan’s Governor Rick Snyder urged action. In his State of the State Speech in January 2013 the governor lamented: “They [California, Nevada and Florida] are ahead of us, and aren’t we the automotive capital of the world?” [5]. These examples give a clear impression of how politicians are starting to see autonomous vehicle technology and why they are promoting autonomous driving. For the leaders of these pioneering states, autonomous driving is seen as a sign of being on the technological cutting edge. The technology’s developers stress the safety benefits expected to come with the implementation of the technology, the increased comfort it will provide for elderly people, and the reduction in traffic congestion it should bring about. Google has been an important entrepreneur that has stimulated both technological and regulatory developments. Google is a new and non-traditional player in transport, a sector which until now has been dominated by the automotive industry. With its retrofitting of automobiles with robotic software, the IT-company has challenged the automotive industry to innovate in new directions (Chapter 10). As noted above it has also put regulators under pressure to take action. Indeed, regulations have had to catch up with the technological innovations. Google’s actions have also pushed self-driving technologies onto the interna- tional agenda. It has opened up new research agendas and challenged policy makers and legal experts to consider the technological and social meanings of this rapidly developing new technology. In the European Union as well as internationally, it is also leading to dis- cussions about the need for early harmonization of standards so as to prevent the institu- tionalization of incompatible standards in different world regions, e. g. via United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) regulations and vehicle type approvals that make sure that a vehicle’s design conforms to technical requirements. Beyond these issues, the role of ICT in the automotive industry of the future and very importantly, data protection concerns, will need societal debates and decisions. In May 2013, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) established an official classification scheme for vehicles which range from level 0 where the driver is in complete control of the vehicle at all times to level 4 where the vehicle performs all safety-critical functions and monitors roadway conditions for the entire trip and could include unoccupied cars. The intermediary levels make increasing use of autonomous vehicle technologies. The NHTSA also issued recommendations to aid states as they make regulatory decisions regarding vehicles with new technological capacities [1]. There are other classification schemes that have developed as well. In particular the comprehensive SAE Standard J3016. It distinguishes between six categories with levels 0 (no automation),