Can you imagine seeing cars on the highway with no drivers?

As of April 2, this seemingly fictional concept is going to be a reality in California! California passed a law last week making it legal for self-driving cars from fifty different companies to be on the road without someone in the driver’s seat.

The companies currently allowed to have driverless cars on the road have all tested driverless cars previously, but with drivers behind the wheels to take control in case something went wrong. As safety is still a concern, laws still require that companies be able to use technology such as drones to control the car, have defenses set up against cyber attacks, and be able to communicate with law enforcement if something goes wrong.

Many are viewing this as a major step in being able to implement driverless cars in a more widespread way. A long-term future in driverless cars could be in assisting children and the elderly.

Once driverless cars are available across the market, industry experts predict that the requirement of a drone monitoring the car will be removed. It is currently unclear how soon these cars will hit the market, and how soon the DMV will be able to issue licenses for these cars.

For more on self-driving cars and the technology, read our earlier article HERE.