Nevada DMV Approves Regulations for Testing Driverless Vehicles

Nevada claims to be the first state in the nation to approve rules for testing driverless vehicles on the state roadways. The Legislative Commission of the state's Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) approved regulations in February that will pave the way for companies to test "autonomous vehicles" and set the stage for Nevada motorists to operate driverless cars and trucks. DMV Director Bruce Breslow said Nevada is the first in the U.S. to adopt such legislation, and that an application package for companies that want to test their autonomous vehicles is available. The announcement was made just months after Nevada passed a law requiring the DMV to adopt regulations that would authorize the use of autonomous vehicles on the state's highways. The law, passed in July 2011, defines an autonomous vehicle as "a motor vehicle that uses artificial intelligence, sensors and global positioning system coordinates to drive itself without the active intervention of a human operator."