united-states criminal-law regulations legal-research
Does a licensed driver need to be present while riding in the back seat of a fully autonomous car?
<p>I have a friend that I fear will never have her driver's license. Now with the back seat type of fully autonomous cars does she have to be licensed to be able to use one?</p>

<p>Nobody knows. It will depend on how good self driving cars will be, and what legislation will say. </p>

<p>You would have to drive yourself if (a) the self driving car encounters a situation that it doesn't know how to handle, and (b) the self driving car detects a defect that makes it unsafe for it to have control. In both cases, if you don't have a driving license, or if you are drunk, you are stuck. So the legislators will have to decide whether it is acceptable that cars might be stuck from time to time. Depends on how often it happens obviously. </p>

<p>Of course, today you can have a flat tire, or run out of fuel, and get stuck, so being stuck is not something unheard of.</p>
