Foreign media: China draws on German autopilot regulations

According to Reuters, the German legal expert Eric Hilgendorf said that the Chinese government is evaluating a German law that can lay the foundation for the application of autonomous vehicles. The expert also stated that China is likely to adopt some German laws.

According to Hilgendorf, in the next few weeks, he will be invited to China to introduce information on the laws of autonomous driving. Hilgendorf teaches law at the University of Würzburg, Germany, and serves on the German Government’s Automated Driving Ethics Committee.

According to reports, Hilgendorf will give three lectures at the Law School of Renmin University of China and conduct a high-level meeting on the law of autonomous driving. Hilgendorf pointed out that China has borrowed a lot of German criminal and civil laws, but it has adjusted. He believes that in the field of automatic driving, China will take similar measures.

Hilgendorf pointed out that if China adopts similar laws and regulations in the field of autonomous driving, German automakers will also benefit, because there will be no need for major changes to export vehicles.

At present, the global car companies and technology companies have reached cooperation in the field of machine learning and maps, hoping to compete with Google, Tesla, Apple and other Silicon Valley companies in the field of self-driving cars. Whether the auto industry or the technology industry believes that there are huge opportunities in the auto-pilot field, auto-pilot vehicles are being put into widespread use within two years at the earliest. However, it is not yet clear how many drivers intend to abandon the control of vehicles, and many countries are still in the legislative stage.

Last year, Germany introduced laws that paved the way for the testing of unmanned vehicles. The law allows a self-driving vehicle to perform road tests in Germany. In the event that the vehicle controls the steering wheel and brakes, the driver can disengage his hands from the steering wheel, and his eyes can be left unfocused on road conditions. Browsing the web or mail is permitted. However, the driver must always sit in the driver's seat and be prepared to take over the vehicle at any time.