Mayor Eric Adams on Thursday released new guidelines that will allow testing of self-driving cars on New York City’s streets.
The city’s Department of Transportation (DOT) unveiled a new set of safety guidelines and an application portal, allowing for the first time a wide swath of companies to test their self-driving car (also known as autonomous vehicles, or AVs) technology on the complex and chaotic roads of the five boroughs.
Crucially, no AV will be permitted to test in New York City without a “trained safety driver” behind the wheel at all times, who can take over operations of the car if things go awry.
“This technology is coming whether we like it or not, so we’re going to make sure that we get it right,” Hizzoner said in a statement. “If we do, our streets can be safer, and our air could be cleaner.”
