self-driving car

An automobile that is capable of driving itself with little or no human input using a variety of sensors to perceive their surroundings, such as radar, computer vision, sonar, GPS, odometry and inertial measurement units.

Historical perspective: In May, 2016 the first fatality occurred when a 40-year-old driver was killed using Tesla's autopilot system.

A unanimous vote in a Senate committee approved legislation in 2017 that authorizes self-driving car makers to sell as many as 80,000 vehicles a year within three years that would be exempt from current safety standards as manufacturers develop technology for autonomous vehicles. At this point, U.S. states each have their own laws for autonomous vehicle testing. There is not yet a location in the U.S. that allows full deployment of self-driving vehicles owned by individuals on all roads

In April 2018, the first pedestrian fatality by a self-driving car happened when one of Uber’s autonomous vehicles plowed straight into a pedestrian in Tempe, AZ killing the 49-year-old woman.