In Japan, green light for self-driving cars

As confirmed in a note from the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, starting next April in Japan, the use of “level 4” autonomous vehicles will be allowed, that is, without any direct human intervention. The measure will include private car and driverless bus services intended to operate in sparsely populated mountain areas, as well as home delivery services for transporting goods. Delivery robots, on the other hand, will travel on sidewalks at a maximum of 6 km per hour.

The companies that will operate these services or that will produce the vehicles with level 4 automation will need the authorization of the prefectural public safety commissions and will also be required to install long-distance surveillance systems for regular vehicle checks, cybersecurity measures to ensure that unauthorized third parties cannot take control of it.

Vehicle automation is classified into 5 levels: the first involves driver assistance, in the sense that the car has electronic systems that can control direction and speed. The second level is partially automated: the steering wheel and pedals are controlled by the electronic system, and the car “sees” others and brakes on its own. The third level is the transition to the robot with the system that controls the driving but is limited to low speeds and poses legal problems about the driver’s responsibility. Private vehicles are already available, classified as level 3. The fourth level sees the system control all the dynamic aspects of the car and also act if the driver, once warned, does not intervene correctly. The fifth level is the car that drives itself anywhere and everywhere.