Pennsylvania recently introduced legislation in the state Senate that creates a roadmap for the testing and commercial deployment of Highly Automated Vehicles (HAV).
Current Pennsylvania law requires a licensed driver to be seated in the driver’s seat at all times in physical control of the vehicle. Senate Bill 965 would allow HAVs to be operated with a driver in the driver’s seat, a driver in a remote location, or exclusively by an Automated Driving System.
Only HAVs owned by an educational institution or a business specializing in the advancement of driverless technology are permitted to be tested and deployed commercially.
The bill incorporates the Society of Automotive Engineers’ international standards as well as the best practices of 39 states that implemented legislation or executive orders centered around HAVs.
“We have an opportunity to make transportation safer, smarter, cleaner, more equitable, and more efficient than ever,” Yassmin Gramian, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) secretary, said. “PennDOT has been at the forefront and nationally recognized for our leadership on automated vehicles, and we’re excited to mark another milestone in that mission…We are confident through our partnership, we will have an updated state law that keeps safety as its focus while helping this technology evolve.”
The Senate Transportation Committee is considering the bill.