Oklahoma State Senate passes bill 1541 with a 44-1 vote, permitting autonomous driving vehicles to drive on public roads within the state. On Monday evening the bill was authored by Senator Paul Rosino, a Republican. It was detailed that 19 states in the US are ready to allow autonomous vehicle operation. And further 20 states allow further testing. According to Rosino Oklahoma’s position as the only state along the I-40 corridor to not allow autonomous vehicles on its roads. Passing the bill would bring Oklahoma up to date on current automotive technology, he says.
“Oklahoma is the only state on the I-40 corridor that isn’t already allowing AVs. That places our state at an economic and public safety disadvantage,” Rosino said. “With approximately 300,000 completely autonomous commercial deliveries that have already been made without incident, we know this is safe. This legislation will make sure we know who is operating AVs and make sure they have proper insurance and safety protocols.”
Following its near-unanimous vote through the State Senate, the bill will head to the House of Representatives for further consideration, the Senate said. Rosino believes the passing of SB 1541 could revolutionize the trucking and supply chain industry. “We don’t have enough truck drivers as it is, he said. “If we don’t allow AVs, we’re still going to have supply-chain issues in our state and country. These vehicles are safe, and this legislation will help our state take advantage of this technology as so many others are already doing.”
New technology
Autonomous vehicle testing has been going on for several years. However, because it is a relatively new piece of technology, government agencies and others are still getting up to speed on the capabilities of AVs. For example, last summer, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said that it would require “manufacturers and operators of vehicles equipped with SAE Level 2 advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) or SAE Levels 3-5 automated driving systems (ADS) to report crashes.” Crash reporting helped the agency disclose full transparency between manufacturers of autonomous vehicles and their potential consumers.
The autonomous vehicle industry praised the introduction of the amendment. A group called the Self-Driving Coalition for Safer Streets, which includes Uber, Lyft, Volvo, Ford, and Waymo as members, said it “welcomes Senators Peters and Thune’s amendment to support autonomous vehicle testing and deployment in the U.S.” The amendment will “pave the way for AV technology to save lives, unlock new economic and mobility opportunities, and promote American leadership and innovation in this globally competitive arena,” Ariel Wolf, general counsel of the coalition, said in a statement.
Credits- The Verge
