Committee advances bill making AV manufacturers responsible for violations by driverless vehicles

Assemblymember Tai introduced AB 21 93 as a measure to clarify who is responsible when a fully driverless vehicle commits a traffic violation. The sponsor told the committee the bill ‘‘ensures that the manufacturer of autonomous vehicle technology is responsible for any traffic enforcement citations that are issued for violation’’ when no human driver is present.

Matt Brod of Teamsters California said the bill restores parity: what applies to human drivers should apply to autonomous systems, and expressed caution about the administrative mechanisms used previously (notice of noncompliance) that lacked meaningful penalty and enforcement. Louie Costa of the Smart Transportation Division (representing bus and school bus operators) urged accountability to avoid compounding harms to human operators who can be cited while an automated vehicle may only receive a minor notice.

The committee accepted the committee amendment; there were no registered opposition witnesses at the mic. Committee members praised the bipartisan approach and voted to send the bill as amended to the Committee on Communications and Conveyance for further consideration.