Germany's upper house of parliament approved a law permitting autonomous vehicles on German roads, but not completely driverless vehicles.

According to the law, which will be revised in two years' time, Germany will require a driver behind the wheel at all times, in case the vehicle has to pass control to a human. A black box must record every journey, including data regarding who is driving (computer or human) and when switches occur between the two.

If a collision occurs on a human's watch, that specific human will be considered at fault. If a collision occurs while the car is operating autonomously, and the fault can be attributed to the system, then the manufacturer will assume liability.

Volkswagen, Daimler and BMW are all getting involved in autonomy, and being able to test vehicles at their home countries sounds convenient.