The US authority NHTSA allows autonomous vehicles to be roadworthy without a steering wheel and pedals.
When it comes to autonomous vehicles, manufacturers in the USA are allowed to do without manual intervention options such as pedals and the steering wheel. This was decided by the US regulators on Thursday. However, the car must be able to drive itself completely, i.e. have reached level 4.
This updates the legislation with safety standards that date back to the last century and did not yet know the technology of autonomous driving. Nevertheless, the same quality of occupant protection must be given in autonomous vehicles. Children are not allowed to sit in the driver’s seat, as this does not adequately protect the child in the event of an accident. The vehicle sale must also be approved.
The change in the rules goes back to a request from General Motors, which wanted to build its self-driving cars without a steering wheel and pedals.