State Autonomous Vehicle Work Group meets to consider initial recommendations to Legislature

Washington State Transportation Commission – NEWS
Transportation Commission Office – PO Box 47308 – Olympia, WA 98504-7308
360-705-7070

Oct. 19, 2018

Contact: Reema Griffith, WSTC Executive Director, 360-705-7070 (Olympia)

Meeting is in Olympia Wednesday, Oct. 24

OLYMPIA – With new and evolving technology advances in vehicle operations, the Washington State Legislature enacted a law in 2018 creating the Autonomous Vehicle Work Group. The body is convened by the Washington State Transportation Commission and is required to make recommendations on possible laws and regulations that will address the operation of autonomous vehicles on public roadways in the state.

The work group will meet from 12 – 5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 24, in the Nisqually Board Room at the Department of Transportation Headquarters Building, 310 Maple Park Ave SE, Olympia. The meeting is open to the public.

The work group held its first meeting in June and established five subcommittees charged with assessing regulatory and legal needs for autonomous vehicle deployment on roadways. The subcommittees bring together public and private sector interests to collaborate on assessing potential implications and effects of autonomous vehicles across five topical areas:

  • Vehicle and driver licensing/ rules of the road
  • Safety/ enforcement
  • Infrastructure and systems
  • Liability/ insurance
  • System technology and data security

The work group will receive status reports and recommendations from the five subcommittees at their Oct. 24 meeting. The work group will then forward the recommendations on to the commission for consideration during its Dec. 11 and 12 meeting in Olympia. The work group will also provide the commission with a proposed work plan for the next two years (July 2019 – June 2021) which will outline the major efforts they will undertake in their ongoing review and assessment of autonomous vehicle deployment in Washington state. 

The commission will submit a report of findings and initial recommendations, along with the proposed two-year work plan, to the Legislature in January 2019. 

For more information on the work group, visit:  https://avworkgroupwa.org/

For more information on the Transportation Commission, visit:  wstc.wa.gov

 

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