汽车自动驾驶，司机打盹合法吗？

    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.