While the Japanese government is supportive of self-driving cars and the associated technology, it has also made it clear that the much talked about fully autonomous vehicles will not be tested on public roads in the country. As per reports in the Japanese media, the land of the rising sun has established guidelines published by the local National Police Agency (NPA) stating that all tests on public roads should be made with a driver behind the wheel.
The move is to avoid a mishap and the driver will be ready to take control of the vehicle in case of possible a malfunction. The said person will also have to ensure safety and comply with traffic laws during his stint behind the autonomous vehicle. Furthermore, the Japanese government has stated that fully autonomous cars will have to be equipped with black boxes, like those in air crafts, which will record data that will be analyzed in case of an accident. This will determine as to what caused the accident and what steps need to be taken before test drives of autonomous vehicles resume.
A panel of experts will also be established by Japan's National Police Agency. The experts will analyze the possible legislative reforms in regard to the new technology with topics ranging from who would be legally responsible in case of an accident as well as establishing anti-hacking measurements. The panel will also discuss on how the driver's license system for self-driving cars will be modified.
The Japanese government has developed a classification system for semi and fully automated cars. The classification system is divided in four levels with Level 4 including fully automated functions without the need of human involvement; whereas Level 3 includes having limited self-driving capabilities where the car is largely driven by the autonomous technology but the driver can take control, should it be necessary. Level 2 involves multiple automated functions such as steering, acceleration and control, and Level 1 includes those cars with limited automated functions.
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