Germany's Bundestag Approves Self-Driving Vehicle Use, Bundesrat Approval Still Needed

Germany's lower parliamentary house, the Bundestag, has approved the regular use of self-driving vehicles and features in the country, according to reports. As the country relies on a bicameral parliament, though, the upper house known as the Bundesrat will apparently also have to approve the legislation, and the executive branch will have to as well, before the law can be changed. The coalition forces that are backing the legalization of self-driving vehicles -- composed of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the Christian Democratic Union (CSU) -- are reportedly confident that approval will be forthcoming. The law (as quoted in translation by Teslarati) reads: "During vehicle driving, the driver may turn away from traffic and vehicle control by means of highly automated or fully automated driving function … (but must) immediately (assume control) if he recognizes that the conditions for the intended use of the highly or fully automated driving functions no longer exist … even if he does not control the vehicle in the context of the intended use of this function." So, people will seemingly be responsible for whatever the self-driving vehicle/tech providers are unwilling to explicitly take responsibility for.