TOKYO: Stuck in traffic on a Japanese highway? If you're in a self-driving car you might be able to kick back with a sandwich and check your phone under new legislation in the country.
It would allow drivers in those situations to use a smartphone behind the wheel as their vehicle drives itself, so long as they are able to switch to manual driving immediately in case of emergency, the agency said. While the new legislation eases restrictions, it still leaves Japan behind some other countries, where autonomous ride-share vehicles have been operating in limited areas.Self-driving cars are a key sector for development in the auto industry, but there have been recent setbacks, including several accidents last year.
In the same year, Japanese car giant Toyota said it would pump about US$500 million into Uber as part of a deal to work together on mass-producing self-driving vehicles.