Prohibits any motor vehicle with a manufacturers' gross vehicle weight rating of ten thousand one pounds or more which utilizes autonomous vehicle technology from being operated on public highways unless a natural person holding a valid license for the operation of the motor vehicle's class is present within such vehicle.
STATE OF NEW YORK
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7758
2023-2024 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
November 15, 2023
___________
Introduced by Sen. HARCKHAM -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules
AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to requiring
human safety operators for certain autonomous vehicles
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The vehicle and traffic law is amended by adding a new
2 section 393-b to read as follows:
3 § 393-b. Human safety operator required for certain autonomous vehi-
4 cles. No motor vehicle with a manufacturers' gross vehicle weight
5 rating of ten thousand one pounds or more which utilizes autonomous
6 vehicle technology shall be operated on public highways unless a natural
7 person holding a valid license for the operation of the motor vehicle's
8 class is present within such vehicle. As used in this section, "auton-
9 omous vehicle technology" shall mean the hardware and software that are
10 collectively capable of performing part or all of the dynamic driving
11 task on a sustained basis, and the term "dynamic driving task" shall
12 mean all of the real-time operational and tactical functions required to
13 operate a vehicle in on-road traffic, excluding the strategic functions
14 such as trip scheduling and selection of destinations and waypoints.
15 § 2. This act shall take effect upon the adoption by the state of a
16 law permitting the operation of motor vehicles utilizing autonomous
17 vehicle technology on public highways without requiring a natural person
18 holding a valid license for the operation of the motor vehicle's class
19 to be present within such vehicle; provided that the commissioner of
20 motor vehicles shall notify the legislative bill drafting commission
21 upon the occurrence of the enactment of such state law in order that the
22 commission may maintain an accurate and timely effective data base of
23 the official text of the laws of the state of New York in furtherance of
24 effecting the provisions of section 44 of the legislative law and
25 section 70-b of the public officers law.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD13484-01-3
