The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) in September 2016 released a policy that affects stakeholders in the autonomous-vehicle-technology (AV technology) industry. The policy, among other things:
- Requires entities that are planning to develop AV technology to submit to the USDOT a detailed report enabling the agency to assess the technology’s safety;
- Provides that, until an AV technology is fully automated, state law will regulate issues including the technology’s licensing and insurance requirements;
- Cites regulatory resources that the USDOT can access to expedite the development and deployment of AV technologies; and
- Contemplates data-collection practices transparent enough to facilitate the sharing of information among AV-technology stakeholders and to expedite the development and deployment of AV technologies.
The USDOT accepted stakeholders’ comments on this policy for 60 days following its September 20, 2016 release and expects to update the policy every year.
Read the full Client Alert here.