The provincial government has changed the rules to allow testing of fully autonomous vehicles, without someone behind the wheel.听 Testing of vehicles with no-one in the driver鈥檚 seat has been done on closed tracks, while some testing has been allowed on public roads but with someone in the driver鈥檚 seat just in case.
The new law also allows for 鈥渓evel 3鈥 automation on the road once those cars become available to be purchased. Some of these vehicles with a higher level of automation are available in selected countries in Europe.
| Ontario automation classification |
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Level 0听鈥 No Automation: No automated features. Level 1听鈥 Driver Assistance: Intelligent features add layer of safety and comfort. A human driver is required for all critical functions. Level 2听鈥 Partial Automation: At least two automated tasks are managed by the vehicle, but the driver must remain engaged with the driving task. Level 3听鈥 Conditional Automation: The vehicle becomes a co-pilot. The vehicle manages most safety-critical driving functions but the driver must be ready to take control of the vehicle at all times. Level 4听鈥 High Automation: The vehicle is capable of performing all driving functions under certain conditions. The driver may have the option to control the vehicle. Level 5听鈥 Full Automation: Vehicle is capable of being completely driverless. Full-time automated driving in all conditions without need for a human driver. |
Ross McKenzie, the managing director of the 蓝莓视频 Centre for Automotive Research (WatCAR), quoted by the CBC says, 鈥淎t a full level three, you don鈥檛 need your hands on the wheel and a foot on a pedal, so it uses a lot of technologies and it鈥檚 anchored by adaptive cruise control 鈥 and lane keeping technology,鈥
As of yet level-3 vehicles are not available in Canada. The reason for the change in law comes from the provincial government鈥檚 desire to听 position Ontario as a leader in the technology by removing some of the restrictions to testing and development.
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