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Federal Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer: The CSU man regularly attracts criticism, this time on the subject of autonomous driving
Photo: Christian Spicker / imago images / Christian Spicker
They are already driving in a parking garage at Stuttgart Airport, the autonomous cars.
There the latest S-Class from Mercedes can drive in and park without a driver.
180 cameras, installed by supplier Bosch, monitor what is happening.
Despite all the efforts of the trial operation, autonomous driving is considered a megatrend in the automotive industry alongside electric drives.
Driven by Tesla, the German manufacturers are also researching what is known as Level 4 automation, where the system permanently takes over driving operations and a vehicle occupant only intervenes in exceptional cases.
Federal Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer (CSU) does not want to be left behind.
He emphasizes at every opportunity that you have to "kick the turbo" on this issue.
Now his officials have submitted the draft law along with regulations.
"Not roadworthy in normal operation"
According to SPIEGEL information, it will be decided in the federal cabinet next Wednesday.
But accident researchers, insurers and consumer advocates are warning of the rules that are intended to set the legal framework for autonomously driving cars and trucks.
According to this, in addition to vehicles traveling at up to 20 kilometers per hour, faster cars and trucks will be able to drive independently on German roads in the future, for example in slow-moving traffic.
"With the current technology, this is not possible in regular operation in a safe manner and should therefore be ruled out," warns Siegfried Brockmann, head of accident research at the insurer.
The German Insurance Association (GDV) is concerned about how the question of guilt in the event of accidents will be clarified in the future.
Today, the driver is usually responsible, according to GDV General Manager Jörg Asmussen.
In the future, it could also be a programmer from the manufacturer, or the provider of the digital maps or the cell phone company through which the autonomous cars communicate with one another.
Who has access to the driving data after an accident?
However, the regulation does not sufficiently regulate this central question.
"After an accident, it must not only be possible for the manufacturer to find the fault," Asmussen told SPIEGEL.
He demands that those involved and the insurer should have access to the data after a collision.
In its statement, the Federation of German Consumer Organizations advises against, among other things, allowing private ownership of autonomous cars.
Given the state of the art, it would make more sense to “limit the scope of application to commercial owners”.
Contrary to the regulation of the Ministry of Transport, liability should initially be borne by the manufacturer, followed by the technical supervision and then the owner.
In autonomous driving, there are different degrees to which computers control the car.
Currently, only partially autonomous systems are permitted - the driver must be able to intervene at any time.
That is why the responsibility for driving safety is still completely anchored with the driver.
A technical regulation that allows highly automated driving at up to 60 kilometers per hour on motorways should come into force at the beginning of the year.
But it is stuck in the Federal Ministry of Justice.
Systems are being tested further by the manufacturers on several sections of German motorways, for example in Lower Saxony and Bavaria.
There are a number of pilot projects in which fully automated systems are tested.
This includes, for example, a minibus offer from Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe BVG.
The vehicles run on the Charité hospital campus and do not travel faster than 20 kilometers per hour.
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