CALIFORNIA STATE LEGISLATURE

PRIMARY AUTHOR: JOHN SMITH

BILL NO.: 2735
TITLE OF BILL: AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE REGULATION ACT
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
Preamble: Whereas a driver controls most vehicles being built today, automotive manufactures
are starting to create concept autonomous vehicles or adding autonomous modes to vehicles that
are capable of this. This means that a driver would not always be required, or the vehicle may not
have a spot for the driver, to be a driver behind the wheel. Manufactures are creating different
level of autonomy for their vehicles. The most common levels of autonomy are: The ability for a
vehicle to be left and then park its self and then return to the owner when it is called back the
ability for a vehicle to drive it!s self at low speeds and stay within it!s current lane, an e"ample of
this would be for the car to turn on autonomy mode while it is traveling under #$ miles per hour
on the freeway the last is for a vehicle to be able to drive anywhere when given the directions
through something like %oogle Maps. This bill would be used to help regulate different aspects
of autonomous cars. &rom how people obtain licenses for autonomous cars, to what
manufactures must equip them with, safety regulations, and what qualifies as an autonomous car.
'ollision based safety for these vehicles would not be different from standard collision tests for
non(autonomous vehicles. )ecurity is also a big issue when discussing autonomous cars because
cars today are more vulnerable to remote hacking due to their reliance on computers
autonomous cars are even more vulnerable due to the fact that they require more computers and
more wiring. The point of this bill is to make sure that autonomous cars are regulated correctly
and efficiently. This bill is also built to replace the former 'alifornia law about how
manufactures can privately test their autonomous cars by outlining how manufactures can
actually sell their autonomous cars and then help amend the current law that discusses insurance
on autonomous cars also.
SECTION 1. *utonomous technology: * form of technology that does not require active physical
control or monitoring from a human. +"amples like this would be the self(parking system and
the low speed autonomous mode that *udi is currently developing, the self(driving car that
%oogle is currently testing and developing, or the autonomous busses being tested in ,ancaster.
-a. *n *utonomous vehicle is a vehicle that is equipped with autonomous technology. This may
also be referred to as a self(driving vehicle in some cases.
-b. Things like blind spot monitoring, park assist, and lane keep assist, and other add(ons like
those do not count as an autonomous option or an autonomous vehicle.
SECTION 2. Testing for longevity of the cameras used by the car will be required to assure that
they do not fade over time, and if they do it would help consumers know when is the best time
for them to have the cameras looked at or replaced. This would also give insurance companies
another way to factor in the cost of insuring these vehicles.
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-a. Testing for the life of the camera would be essential so that consumers could be accurately
maintain the camera, and it would also help them know when to replace them.
-b. The cameras would be required to servicing by the manufacture if they do find an issue with
the system, and they would. The manufacture is not always the maker of the vehicle, but the
person that installed the autonomy unit into the car.
SECTION 3. * person can legally use and /operate0 an autonomous vehicle on public roads if
they own the correct class of license. There must be an /operator01 driver behind the steering
wheel to monitor the road and the car incase the autonomous system fails. 2n the case of a
handicapped person -a blind person, paraplegic, etc.. than there shall be no /operator01driver.
-a. The license would be an e"tra class added to current '(class license in 'alifornia. The test
would be made up of questions about what you should do 3ust incase the system fails and what to
look out for while driving.
-b. 2f a person is blind than they could take a modified oral test more oriented for blind people.
This would have them become more independent and not reliable on people or organi4ations.
SECTION 4. Manufactures must install some form of software that can monitor for hackers
remotely to help with security for these vehicles. This software would be required to help
monitor for security, e"ploitable flaws, and increase cyber security in these vehicles. * %P) chip
built into to locate the vehicle would also be required.
-a. The monitoring system could be built directly into the system so that it could monitor it!s self,
or the manufacture could also have it monitored remotely by the manufacture it!s self.
-b. Manufactures would also be required to report threats to the owners, and local police
officials. This would help track the location of the vehicle if stolen.
SECTION 5 )afety for these vehicles would also have to include a section for how the system
reacts to stopping, starting, and other things drivers would do. There would also be required
mechanisms installed that the 225) would have to check for efficiency and any mechanical
errors. 6nce they have accepted the mechanisms than the manufacture would be given a
certificate.
-a. The 225) would simply add an e"tra category of autonomy to their results. This testing would
help insurance companies give rates to vehicles that have to be tested in this category. This
would also help consumers with their research.
-b. The mechanisms that would have to be installed would be a way for the /operator01driver to
engage and disengage the autonomy mode, a symbol letting the /operator01driver know that it is
engaged, letting the /operator01driver know when the system has failed and telling them to take
over, if they can not then the vehicle would then pull over and make a complete stop and call any
needed officials.
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SECTION 6. 2f a manufacture would like to have a system where the vehicle is fully autonomous
all of the time and never requires the input of an /operator01driver, than the manufacture would
have to send the vehicle through more intensive testing and the requirements for installed
mechanisms would also be a lot higher than a vehicle that 3ust has an autonomous mode.
-a. The e"tra testing would be used to make sure that the vehicle is safe and can also operate on
it!s own 3ust incase it was in something like an accident, the system is compromised, or in any
other case of an emergency.
-b. The e"tra mechanisms would be an onboard map that would be able to communicate with
smart devices so that directions could be given to the vehicle, e"tra safety built into the car, and
even ways to stop the car from starting without the use of something like a password.
SECTION 7. This bill would have a two million dollar -7,888,888. fund. This would help the
225) and 9epartment of Motor :ehicles with testing, regulating, finding out what is necessary
with autonomous technology and what would be considered unneeded. The fund could also help
manufactures by having the 225) tell them what they would like in these vehicles and helping
them pay for their own tests.
-a. *llow the 225) to help fun manufacture!s testing would also help with the 225)!s testing
because they would then have their insight into the testing phase for manufactures.
-b. This funding would also give the 225) enough to fund their own testing, it would also give
the 9epartment of Motor :ehicles enough funding to create their tests and make sure that they
will be the best they can be.
SECTION 8. The 9epartment of Motor :ehicles would be required to establish how people
would register these vehicles, how an owner is decided, who qualifies for a *utonomous vehicle
class license, what the difference on the license plate would be, and any other thing that the
9epartment of Motor :ehicles believes are required.
-a.This would allow for the 9epartment of Motor :ehicles to regulate the same aspects of
autonomous vehicles that they regulate about non(autonomous vehicles.
-b. This section would also have one hundred and eighty -;<8. days after this is passed 3ust like
Section 9. This would allow the 9epartment of Motor :ehicles enough to regulate this.
SECTION 9. The 9epartment of Motor :ehicles must have their license test finished for this
class of vehicle ready within a hundred and eighty -;<8. days of this being passed. They must
also have their pamphlets, study resources, and other material prepared within one hundred and
fifty -;$8. days of this being passed to allow people to prepare for the test.
-a. This allotted amount of time would give the 9epartment of Motor :ehicles enough time to
make sure that the test and it!s associated material would test on the right material.
-b. The 9epartment of Motor :ehicles would also have the ability to add requirements and
remove requirements for the test and to certain vehicle codes.
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SECTION 10. This bill shall go into effect two hundred and seventy -7=8. days after passage.
-a. >y giving vehicle manufactures two hundred and seventy -7=8. days to abide by this law it
would help ensure that they have worked the issues out of their product and that they have
picked the best tools for their product.
-b. The 225) would also have time to test and let manufactures knows what they should improve
on to make the vehicle road worthy.
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-;. * certification by the manufacturer that the au!"!#!u$ technology satisfies all of the
following requirements:
-*. The au!"!#!u$ vehicle has a mechanism to engage and disengage the au!"!#!u$
technology that is easily accessible to the operator.
->. The au!"!#!u$ vehicle has a visual indicator inside the cabin to indicate when the
au!"!#!u$ technology is engaged.
-'. The au!"!#!u$ vehicle has a system to safely alert the operator if an au!"!#!u$
technology failure is detected while the au!"!#!u$ technology is engaged, and when an alert is
given, the system shall do either of the following:
-i. ?equire the operator to take control of the au!"!#!u$ vehicle.
-ii. 2f the operator does not or is unable to take control of the au!"!#!u$ vehicle, the
au!"!#!u$ vehicle shall be capable of coming to a complete stop.
-9. The au!"!#!u$ vehicle shall allow the operator to take control in multiple manners,
including, without limitation, through the use of the brake, the accelerator pedal, or the steering
wheel, and it shall alert the operator that the au!"!#!u$ technology has been disengaged.
-+. The au!"!#!u$ vehicle!s au!"!#!u$ technology meets &ederal Motor :ehicle )afety
)tandards for the vehicle!s model year and all other applicable safety standards and performance
requirements set forth in state and federal law and the regulations promulgated pursuant to those
laws.
-&. The au!"!#!u$ technology does not make inoperative any &ederal Motor :ehicle )afety
)tandards for the vehicle!s model year and all other applicable safety standards and performance
requirements set forth in state and federal law and the regulations promulgated pursuant to those
laws.
-%. The au!"!#!u$ vehicle has a separate mechanism, in addition to, and separate from, any
other mechanism required by law, to capture and store the au!"!#!u$ technology sensor data
for at least #8 seconds before a collision occurs between the au!"!#!u$ vehicle and another
vehicle, ob3ect, or natural person while the vehicle is operating in au!"!#!u$ mode. The
au!"!#!u$ technology sensor data shall be captured and stored in a read(only format by the
mechanism so that the data is retained until e"tracted from the mechanism by an e"ternal device
capable of downloading and storing the data. The data shall be preserved for three years after the
date of the collision.
-7. @otwithstanding paragraph -;., if the application seeks approval for au!"!#!u$ %&'()*&$
capable of operating without the presence of a driver inside the vehicle, the department may
impose additional requirements it deems necessary to ensure the safe operation of those %&'()*&$,
and may require the presence of a driver in the driver!s seat of the vehicle if it determines, based
on its review pursuant to paragraph -;., that such a requirement is necessary to ensure the safe
operation of those %&'()*&$ on public roads. The department shall notify the ,egislature of the
receipt of an application from a manufacturer seeking approval to operate an au!"!#!u$
vehicle capable of operating without the presence of a driver inside the vehicle and approval of
the application. *pproval of the application shall be effective no sooner than ;<8 days after the
date the application is submitted.
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