Beijing launches self-driving vehicle tests

Beijing has officially opened roads for "unmanned" driving scenarios and carried out the self-driving vehicle tests orderly in multiple phases.

 Unmanned road testing means no one in the driver's seat. In fact, Beijing opened its trial self-driving car tests three years ago, but the driver's seat was always staffed by a safety officer. The safety officer does not drive the car during the test, but only to ensure safety and prevents accidents from happening.

 In the current unmanned test scenario, Beijing will gradually withdraw the safety officer from the vehicle. When operation  is  proved safe and accident free, the safety officer will first move from the driver's seat to the passenger seat, and then to the back row, and finally withdraw from the vehicle.

 More than 100 kilometers of urban roads in Beijing will be involved in the unmanned test. The self-driving vehicles shall bear a striking "unmanned" mark, and the test should not be carried out during rush hours, according to local traffic regulations.

 Reporting by Peng Ziyang (Xinhua); Trans-editing by Yang Xuan