Page - (000176) - in Autonomes Fahren - Technische, rechtliche und gesellschaftliche Aspekte

Autonomous Driving – Political, Legal, Social, and Sustainability Dimensions164 1 (driver assistance) and 2 (partial automation) subsumed under the headline “human driver monitors the driving environment” and 3 (conditional automation), 4 (high automa- tion) and 5 (full automation) labeled as “automated driving systems” (see also section 8.4.6 for the BASt classification scheme). 8.4.3 Japan Influenced by Google’s lobbying at the state level in the United States, Japan has begun to exhibit more interest in autonomous vehicles. Japan is renowned both for its robotic tech- nologies and its low-carbon vehicle technologies. In 2013, Nissan received approval from the Japanese authorities to test its self-driving car, the Nissan Leaf. The Leaf is the first car that combines an electric motor with an advanced driver assistance system [3]. Kanagawa Governor Yuji Kuroiwa and Nissan Vice Chairman Toshiyuki Shiga tested the car on the Sagawa Expressway near Yokohama [38]. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also has tested several “self-driving cars” produced by Japanese manufacturers Toyota, Honda, and Nissan and has claimed that he senses “that the Japanese technology is the world’s best” [39]. “In particular, in tough driving conditions such as tight curves and lane changing using autonomous driving, I think our Japanese technologies are among the world’s best” [37]. The competition to be a leader in the field is clearly heating up and politicians are lending their visibility and weight to support this emerging technology. 8.4.4 United Kingdom The situation of the United Kingdom is emblematic of the situation in many European states. There is growing concern that national automobile developers are being hampered by regulatory restrictions and lack of a clear political strategy for autonomous vehicles. A September 2013 advise of the British Houses of Parliament, Parliamentary Office of Science & Technology notes, “There is no explicit legislation which governs autonomous vehicles on UK roads”. The advice further laments: “At present there is no published strat- egy for the adoption of autonomous vehicles in the UK” [29]. As is the case with several other European member states, steps to improve the possibilities for testing are being taken. The British Ministry of Science and Universities has designated £6 million for research and technology into autonomous vehicle technologies and the Department for Transport is permitting trials on public roads. 8.4.5 Sweden Sweden is an early pioneer of self-driving technology. The Swedish Government signed a memorandum of understanding with Volvo to allow ordinary people to use self-driving