Beijing issues details of "road test" for self-driving vehicles

Authorities in Beijing have released details of a "road test" for self-driving vehicles, reports Beijing Daily.

Two documents were released by Beijing Municipal Commission of Transport together with Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau and Beijing Municipal Commission of Economy and Information Technology.

Visitors take a look at a Baidu self-driving vehicle during a tech expo in Beijing. [File photo: China News Service]

Self-driving vehicles must pass driving tests on an off-road test track before being tested on public roads. Detailed technical requirements for the tests are included in the documents.

Dynamic driving ability of self-driving vehicles will be evaluated. And the vehicles must be able to recognize road signs and signals from traffic police, and make adjustments for extreme weather and changes in road conditions.

Emergency response and human intervention will also be examined.

Thirty situations, such as having traffic accidents, failing to keep a safe distance and failing to keep a safe speed, will directly lead to failure in the test.

A number of Chinese companies, including Alibaba and Baidu, are working on the research and development of autonomous driving technology.

In July 2017, Baidu was fined after conducting a road test of an autonomous vehicle in Beijing without the authorization of local authorities.