By Illinois Radio Network
SPRINGFIELD – Illinois will have self-driving cars – eventually – and the Illinois State Police will be ready for them when they hit the streets.
In the meantime, there are unanswered questions about autonomous vehicles. For example, who gets a ticket if a self-driving car breaks the law? That’s just one of the questions that have yet to be answered about the future of autonomous vehicles in Illinois.
“We are learning from what’s being done in other places,” ISP Director Leo Schmitz said. “I think we know the future is autonomous vehicles, in some way. So we’re preparing. And we’re constantly looking at how we’re going to handle that, and how it works.”
Gov. Bruce Rauner said Illinois is looking to Arizona and California, two states that he says have a lot more experience with self driving cars.
Uber Technologies Inc. recently announced it was winding down its self-driving vehicle program in Arizona. The decision came two months after Arizona barred Uber from testing when one of the company’s robot cars struck and killed a pedestrian. Uber plans to continue its autonomous-car programs in three other North American cities, including San Francisco, according to media reports.
“We’re monitoring it to try and stay ahead of it for the people of Illinois, while understanding that the future is heading toward this type of technology,” Rauner said.
The governor said the goal is to make sure Illinois is at the cutting edge, but only if it can be done safely.
