Uber Self-Driving Cars: When Will It Happen? California Lawmaker Comes Up With Penalties For Permitless Testing Of New Technology

A California lawmaker doesn't want operators of self-driving vehicles sneaking their cars on the road without permission. Democratic Assemblyman Phil Ting of San Francisco Thursday proposed fines as high as $25,000 per vehicle per day for any company testing self-driving vehicles on public roads without first obtaining a two-year, $150 permit from the Department of Motor Vehicles. "I applaud our innovation economy and all the companies developing autonomous vehicle technology, but no community should face what we did in San Francisco," Ting said in a press release. "The pursuit of innovation does not include a license to put innocent lives at risk." The measure is a response to Uber's decision in December to put 16 autonomous Volvos on the street in San Francisco without a permit.