China draws up safety rules for autonomous vehicles

BEIJING: China has drawn up new safety rules for the growing number of autonomous vehicles on its roads, including a mandatory deactivation override, the government said Tuesday (Aug 4).The standards taking effect Jul 1, 2027, will cover autonomous vehicles that require a human back-up driver, as well as independently operating vehicles such as the robotaxis made by US manufacturer Waymo.Under the new rules, manufacturers will have to ensure autonomous systems can match the safety of human drivers, China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said in a statement.Buyers will also have to be informed of any limitations in autonomous systems. The rules standardise interactions between humans and machines to "prevent risks of misuse or abuse", the ministry said.They will require tha