Self-driving cars are no longer merely a distant utopian dream but are happening right now with top tech giants and automakers all trying to get into the market.

Big players in the market include Tesla Motors Inc. and Google while Uber Technologies Inc. started testing its self-driving cars in Pittsburgh last week. Automaker Ford Motor Company has announced its autonomous cars will be on the road by 2021.

Other non-car companies like ARM Holdings Plc has launched a new safety chip and Nvidia Corp. has a new Drive PX 2 computer for autonomous cars. As the self-driving market expands rapidly, online education company Udacity is focused on educating engineers. Together with Mercedes-Benz and Nvidia, the company has launched a self-driving car nanodegree program.

“Automated vehicles have the potential to save tens of thousands of lives each year. Safer, more accessible driving. Less congested, less polluted roads. That’s what harnessing technology for good can look like. But we have to get it right. Americans deserve to know they’ll be safe today even as we develop and deploy the technologies of tomorrow,” wrote President Barack Obama in an op-ed article featured in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

The U.S. government has given its blessing of self-driving cars with the release of a Federal Automated Vehicles policy, which, amongst other things, outlines 15 safety objectives that self-driving car manufacturers will have to meet.

Checklist for self-driving car manufacturers

The federal checklist includes details of how data collected from self-driving cars should be shared with regulators while at the same time drivers should have a clear understanding of the kind of data being collected.

Manufacturers need to ensure the self-driving car is able to respond safely to near crashes, software malfunctions, etc. and will need to prove the cars are safe to use following a crash. At the same time, the vehicles need to have necessary safety measures to safeguard against online attacks.

Self-driving cars need to meet the standards for “crashworthiness” and manufacturers will need to show how vehicles safely switch between autopilot and human control. The car should be able to change modes safely when there is a technical malfunction, but should consider the condition of the driver, for instance, if they are drowsy or under the influence of alcohol.

Manufacturers need to ensure its staff is trained on how autopilot works in order to train sales representatives.

Any software update or new driverless features will be submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, together with any ethical considerations that have been taken. The vehicle should adhere to any relevant state laws and practices.

Manufacturers will also need to detail where, when and under what conditions the driverless system works. It needs to show how the car will respond to its surrounding environment, like other cars, pedestrians, etc.   

Finally, manufacturers will need the necessary tests and validation in place that covers all aspects of the self-driving car. These include simulation, test track and road tests.

President Obama does concede that government can sometimes get it wrong and take regulation too far. “That’s why this new policy is flexible and designed to evolve with new advances,” he wrote in his article.

Image credit: Becky Stern; Flickr