The U.S. Federal Vehicle Safety Organization has paved the way for completely driverless vehicles that do not include manual controls, such as steering or pedals.

The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has finalized the removal of stricter restrictions on motorized and self-driving vehicles that require such restrictions to drive on the roads.

The new law emphasizes that such cars “must continue to provide the same high level of passenger protection as existing passenger cars, even without manual restrictions.”

The 155-page “first of its kind” law allows companies to manufacture and deploy self-driving vehicles without manual restrictions, as long as they comply with other safety regulations.

Existing self-driving cars currently operating in small numbers in the United States typically include hand tools such as steering wheels for back-up safety drivers to meet federal safety standards.

“Throughout the 2020s, with the development of automated driving and driver assistance systems, ensuring compliance with safety standards will be an important part of safety requirements,” Transport Minister Pete Buttigig said in a statement.

He added that the new law is an important step as it sets stricter safety standards for vehicles equipped with Automated Driving System (ADS).

In a published copy of the law – signed by Stephen S. Cliff, deputy director of the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration – the agency wrote, “Manufacturers of vehicles with self-driving systems will continue to apply occupant protection standards, even if the vehicles have not been installed, and have manual controls.”

The verdict, first proposed in March 2020, comes a month after General Motors and its self-driving unit Cruise sought permission from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to build an autonomous vehicle without the autonomous restrictions of cruise origin.

General Motors and Cruise have previously stated that they plan to start production of the original in early 2023.

According to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, General Motors and Cruise are among the 30 companies or organizations that are allowed to test automated or self – driving vehicles on U.S. roads with the Alphabet’s Weymouth. ) (Google’s parent company) – includes. Leading companies in the field of self-driving vehicles.