US authorities increase scrutiny of autonomous car tests on public roads

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US road safety authorities have issued an order requiring car makers to report all crashes involving autonomous vehicles being tested on public roads. To date, 30 of the 50 US states permit real-world testing of the future hands-free vehicle technology, which goes beyond what is available for the public to buy today. The next-generation technology – known as Level Five – relies more heavily on cameras, radar, and other sensors to read the road and traffic, with minimal input from the driver.

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