Unofficial: USA to loosen up autonomous driving laws

Tesla Inc. CEO Elon Musk is a close man to Donald Trump, and this may soon have an effect on traffic legislation, Bloomberg warns.

According to the publication, the newly elected president intends to make major changes in the regulations concerning driverless and semi-autonomous vehicles. Right now, federal laws only provide for 2,500 driverless car licenses issued per year. This limits the number of vehicles without a steering wheel or pedals on the roads.

Upon Musk’s insistence, this limitation may be lifted, unofficial sources told Bloomberg. Tesla is currently developing a driverless taxi called the Cybercab, and is clearly envisioning a larger vehicle fleet than just 2,500 units. If the restriction is lifted, we may start seeing way more fully autonomous vehicles around.