The German Government may mandate the factory installation of a “black box”—an event data recorder, or EDR—in vehicles equipped with autonomous capabilities to help determine responsibility in a crash, the country’s transport ministry says.
The fatal crash of a Tesla Model S car in its Autopilot mode has increased the pressure on industry executives and regulators to ensure that automated driving technology can be deployed safely.
Under the proposal from Transport Minister Alexander Dobrindt, drivers will not have to pay attention to traffic or concentrate on steering, but must remain seated at the wheel so they can intervene in the event of an emergency.
Under the proposal, manufacturers will also be required to install an EDR that records when the autopilot system was active, when the driver drove and when the system requested that the driver take over. The draft is due to be sent to other ministries for approval this summer, a transport ministry spokesman said on Monday.
Germany is home to some of the world’s largest car companies including VW Group, Daimler and BMW Group and the government wants the industry to become a global nexus in the market for self-driving vehicles.
