从理论上说，在谷歌（Google）自动驾驶汽车疾驶于公路上时，你有可能会坐在驾驶座位上打盹。但这样做合法吗？如果发生撞车事故的话，谁负责任？自动驾驶汽车的所有者需要特别培训吗？

    美国加州政府的官员们目前正在试图为自动驾驶汽车制定一系列相关规则，极其前卫现代的自动驾驶汽车可以在不需要司机的情况下给乘客开车，把他们送到市内各处。实施证明，这项任务非常复杂，因为这些官员们要设法预期其中潜在的法律和安全问题。有关驾车的几乎所有方面都必须予以重新审视。如果美国各州未来几年内给予自动驾驶汽车以合法地位，这个复杂的问题预示着它们都将面临一个艰巨的任务。

    加州机动车管理局副局长伯纳德•索里亚诺说：“自动驾驶汽车目前仍然处于起步阶段。但每天都会出现新的情况，真是令人感到惊讶，同时也促使我们告诉自己：‘没错，我们现在就应该开始考虑这个问题。’”

    除了加州之外，内华达州和佛罗里达州也通过了允许无人驾驶汽车在各自境内进行测试的相关法律。而在其他一些州，比如密歇根州、马萨诸塞州、德克萨斯州、华盛顿州、俄勒冈州和威斯康星州，州议员们正在考虑这种可能性。直到两年前，数百万辆自动驾驶汽车在道路上行驶的实际情形还似乎像是科幻电影的素材。但此后，谷歌以及奥迪和宝马等汽车制造公司在自动驾驶技术方面已经取得了飞速的进步，而且开始在公共道路上测试自动驾驶汽车。

    加州的相关监管机构正在为自动驾驶汽车制定相关规则。负责这项任务的加州机动车管理局最近就此事召开了第一场公众听证会（他们将对此召开一系列公众听证会），目标是在明年年初前完成测试自动驾驶汽车相关规则的制定工作。现在的问题是，汽车制造公司必须达到什么标准才能获准在公共街道上测试自动驾驶汽车，以及他们的试车司机必须遵循什么规则。

    需要优先考虑的事项包括，一旦发生事故，需要赔偿任何损失时，汽车制造公司需要资金的证明（保险或契约）。列在前面的还有试车司机在自动驾驶汽车失控时能够随时接管方向盘。诸如隐私等其他事项则没那么明确。自动驾驶汽车将记录什么样的信息，以及是否会包括在其旁边行驶的任何车辆的相关数据？

    与此同时，加州预计未来有一天，公众都可以把自己的汽车设置成自动驾驶模式，因此正在制定一套更加全面的规则。索里亚诺透露，这些规则将会更加详细，他希望到2015年之前完成这些规则的制定工作。

    当然，自动驾驶汽车的维修同样至关重要。但加州在对这方面进行核实时应该达到何种程度呢？例如，以导航系统为例。加州可能会要求汽车制造公司确保这些导航系统能够正常运作。或者加州可以设定一个导航系统必须更换的截止日期。另一种选择则是要求进行定期检查。

    谁有资格开自动驾驶汽车则是另一个引发争论的问题。在自动驾驶技术负责驾驶的同时，任何人都可以向后靠着坐在车里。例如，去年谷歌在网上发布了一段视频，这段视频显示，它的自动驾驶汽车把一位盲人送到了塔可钟餐厅（Taco Bell），谷歌由此而成为头条新闻的主角。然而，未来的规则是否会允许这样做则是另一回事。

    Napping behind the wheel of Google's autonomous car while zooming down the highway is possible, theoretically. But is it legal? Who's liable if there's a crash? Will car owners need specific training?

    California officials are trying to draft rules for autonomous vehicles, the futuristic cars that chauffeur passengers around town without a driver. The job is proving to be a complicated one as officials try to anticipate the potential legal and safety issues. Virtually all aspects of driving must be reexamined. The complexity foreshadows the work by states across the country if and when they legalize autonomous vehicles in the coming years.

    "It's still very much in its infancy," said Bernard Soriano, deputy director for California's Department of Motor Vehicles. "Things come up on a daily basis that we're surprised by and make us say, 'Yes, we should be considering that.'"

    In addition to California, Nevada and Florida have passed laws allowing driverless cars to be tested within their borders. Legislators in a number of states like Michigan, Massachusetts, Texas, Washington, Oregon, and Wisconsin are considering the possibility. Up until a couple of years ago, the reality of millions of autonomous cars on the road seemed like fodder for a science fiction film. But since then, Google (GOOG), along with car manufacturers like Audi and BMW, have made rapid advances with the technology and started testing it on public roads.

    In California, the effort to draft rules for autonomous vehicles is a work in progress. The Department of Motor Vehicles, which is in charge of the job, recently held its first in a series of public hearings on the matter. The goal is to complete the regulations for testing cars by early next year. The question is what criteria manufacturers will have to meet to get a permit to tool around on public streets and what rules their test drivers will have to follow.

    Proof of financial wherewithal -- insurance or a bond -- to cover any damages if there's an accident is near the top of the list. So is the readiness of test drivers to take over the wheel if something goes haywire. Other matters aren't so clear-cut like privacy. What kind of information will the car's computers record, and will it include any data about any vehicles driving alongside?

    At the same time, California is also working on a more comprehensive set of rules for the general public, in anticipation that they will someday be able to put their cars on autopilot. These regulations will be far more detailed, according to Soriano, who hopes to finish them by 2015.

    Autonomous car maintenance is, of course, critical. But how far should the state go to verify it? Take the navigation system, for example. The state could require manufacturers to ensure that such systems work properly. Or it could establish an expiration date at which the equipment must be replaced. Another option is to require regular inspections.

    Who can drive an autonomous car is another issue of debate. Anyone can sit back while the technology steers. Last year, for example, Google made headlines by posting a video online showing its autonomous car taking a blind man to Taco Bell. Whether the future rules will allow it is another matter, however.

    加州的政府官员们正在考虑自动驾驶汽车所有者是否需要接受特殊培训。如果是这样的话，应该由谁来负责提供这种培训？而且，乘客可能也需要坐在方向盘后面，在汽车出现状况时可以随时准备好接管汽车。当然，这样的规则排除了盲人以及孩子等太年轻而无法取得驾照的其他人群。索里亚诺说：“这主要是为了确保公众安全。”

    目前还不清楚相关监管机构是否会向自动驾驶汽车发放特别车牌。这种不确定性说明官员们在这个过程中正在考虑大量的细节问题。索里亚诺解释说，通过车牌或其他标记来识别自动驾驶汽车可能会造成危险。因为道路上其他汽车的驾驶者可能会故意逼近自动驾驶汽车，看看它是否会突然自动转向。索里亚诺说：“自动驾驶汽车有利有弊。”

    为了帮助制定这些规则，加州机动车管理局已经开始和包括执法、保险部门及公路建设和养护部门在内的各个政府机构积极合作。此外，它还在征询汽车制造商、学者以及隐私保护组织的意见。

    内华达州是在2011年第一个批准测试自动驾驶汽车的州，而且也是第一个制定一套相关规则的州。该州官员在对自动驾驶汽车技术进行突击学习之后，花费了8个月的时间才发布了这些规则。内华达州机动车管理局参与这些规则制定工作的分析师希瑟•霍金斯-范彻说：“我们以前从来没有听说过自动驾驶汽车。我们必须成为这方面的专家。”

    在内华达州，汽车制造公司必须填写一份冗长的申请，说明各自自动驾驶汽车的各种性能及其行驶纪录。他们还必须选择他们希望各自自动驾驶汽车使用的地理类型：比如州际高速公路或者城市环境，同时还要证明他们拥有总额为300万美元的契约来承担赔偿责任。在机械性能要求方面，自动驾驶汽车必须配有一个系统，来提醒乘客汽车出现的任何技术问题，同时让让他们可以接管汽车。此外，自动驾驶汽车必须保留发生任何撞车事故前30秒内所收集的任何传感数据。

    获颁许可证的公司——到目前为止只有谷歌、奥迪和大陆汽车公司——需要有两名乘客在车内才能行驶自动驾驶汽车。这些乘客需要持有驾照，而且都接受过有关自动驾驶汽车的培训。此外，根据这些规则的规定，两名乘客都必须“积极监测自动驾驶汽车运行方面出现的任何异常状况。”显然，自动驾驶汽车行驶时在座位上打瞌睡属于禁止的行为。（财富中文网）

    翻译：iDo98

    fficials are looking at whether autonomous car owners need specific training. If so, who will provide it? A passenger may also be required to sit behind the wheel and be ready to take over if something goes wrong. Such a rule would, of course, preclude the blind along with others like children who are too young to have a driver's license. "The main theme is ensuring public safety," Soriano said.

    Whether autonomous cars will be issued specific license plates is unclear. The uncertainty speaks to the details officials are considering as part of the process. Soriano explained that identifying an autonomous car with a license plate or other marking may be hazardous. Fellow drivers on the road may decide to inch too close to see if it automatically swerves. "There's pros and cons," Soriano said.

    For help with the rules, California's DMV has teamed with an alphabet soup of government agencies including law enforcement, the insurance department, and highway construction and maintenance department. It's also seeking the input of manufacturers, academics, and privacy groups.

    Nevada was the first state to approve the testing of autonomous vehicles in 2011 and the first come up with a set of rules. Officials took eight months to issue them after a crash course in autonomous vehicle technology. "We'd never heard of autonomous vehicles before," said Heather Hawkins-Fancher, an analyst with the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles who worked on the rules. "We had to become experts."

    In Nevada, manufacturers must fill out a lengthy application explaining their cars' capabilities and their track record. They must also chose the type of geography they wish to use -- interstate highways or urban environment, for example -- and show that they have a bond of $3 million to cover liability. In terms of mechanical requirements, the cars must have a system to alert passengers about any technology problems and allow them to take control. Additionally, the car must retain any sensor data collected for 30 seconds prior to any collision.

    Those awarded a permit -- Google, Audi, and Continental, so far -- are required to operate their cars with two passengers inside. Driver's licenses and prior training with autonomous vehicles are required. Both passengers must also "actively monitor for any aberration in the functioning of the autonomous vehicle," according to the rules. Dozing off while being taxied around is clearly forbidden.