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A Waymo driverless taxi drives on the street during a test ride in San Francisco, on Feb. 15, 2023. Cruise, a subsidiary of General Motors, and Waymo, a spinoff from Google, both are on the verge of operating 24-hour services that would transport passengers throughout one of the most densely populated U.S. cities in vehicles that will have no one sitting in the driver’s seat. (AP Photo/Terry Chea)
Two Waymo driverless taxis stop and face each other on a street in San Francisco before driving past each other, on Feb. 15, 2023. Cruise, a subsidiary of General Motors, and Waymo, a spinoff from Google, both are on the verge of operating 24-hour services that would transport passengers throughout one of the most densely populated U.S. cities in vehicles that will have no one sitting in the driver’s seat. (AP Photo/Terry Chea)
Digital Reporter
A bill filed in Frankfort would set insurance and safety requirements for autonomous vehicles.
A bill filed in Frankfort would set insurance and safety requirements for autonomous vehicles.
A Waymo driverless taxi drives on the street during a test ride in San Francisco, on Feb. 15, 2023. Cruise, a subsidiary of General Motors, and Waymo, a spinoff from Google, both are on the verge of operating 24-hour services that would transport passengers throughout one of the most densely populated U.S. cities in vehicles that will have no one sitting in the driver’s seat. (AP Photo/Terry Chea)
Two Waymo driverless taxis stop and face each other on a street in San Francisco before driving past each other, on Feb. 15, 2023. Cruise, a subsidiary of General Motors, and Waymo, a spinoff from Google, both are on the verge of operating 24-hour services that would transport passengers throughout one of the most densely populated U.S. cities in vehicles that will have no one sitting in the driver’s seat. (AP Photo/Terry Chea)
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Kentucky lawmakers are once again considering authorizing driverless cars and trucks on public roads a year after Gov. Andy Beshear vetoed similar legislation.
Supporters say it’s an opportunity for Kentucky, already a key automotive state, to help usher in the future of the logistics industry. But not everyone agrees autonomous vehicles are safe without human back-up drivers, and some worry about lost jobs.
House Bill 7 would create a “regulatory framework” for the operation of autonomous vehicles, or AVs, including safety and insurance requirements. It’s similar to a bill that cleared the legislature on the final day of the 2023 session, only to be vetoed by Beshear.
A high bill number traditionally indicates the support of legislative leaders, but AVs do not have unanimous support among Republicans, who control the General Assembly.
Under the bill, Kentucky would join 23 states that have explicitly authorized the testing and deployment of AVs since 2012, according to the Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association, a national trade group composed of driverless car companies like Google-linked Waymo and General Motors’ Cruise.
The group says AVs — which use a myriad of cameras and sensors to find their way alongside human drivers — are already a fact of life in some states.
“Upon landing in Phoenix, you can hail a (driverless) robotaxi at the airport to get to your destination,” the association said in a letter to U.S. transportation officials in December. “California residents can order autonomous meal deliveries, and in states like Texas and Arkansas, major retailers are transporting freight via autonomous trucks.”
The industry says AVs are safer than human drivers who are often drunk, distracted or fatigued, but AVs do not have a perfect safety record.
Cruise, the GM-backed startup, is in turmoil after California regulators ordered the company shut down its AV operations last fall following a series of accidents.
Jeff Farrah, the AV association’s CEO, said Kentucky has the opportunity to be at the forefront of a technology that will allow an ever-growing amount of freight to be shipped even amid truck driver shortages.
“Kentucky, as a global supply chain leader, is very well positioned to take advantage of autonomous vehicles, specifically around movement of freight in this country,” Farrah told WDRB News in a recent interview.
The bill also has the support of the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, the state’s influential business lobby.
“Nearly half the states across the country have adopted this AV framework, and we don’t want Kentucky falling behind,” the chamber’s Kate Shanks said in a statement. “Kentucky businesses are already deploying autonomous vehicles on premise, and House Bill 7 can help expand the use of this technology to meet the needs of our growing economy.”
But even as similar legislation cleared the state House and Senate in 2023, not everyone in the controlling Republican caucuses was on board.
“I just think we need to proceed slowly — take baby steps on this — as we move forward with this technology,” Sen. Jimmy Higdon, R-Lebanon, chairman of Senate Transportation Committee, said on the Senate floor just before casting a vote against the bill on March 30, 2023.
At the time, Higdon said he disagreed with the bill’s lack of a requirement that a human driver be in the vehicle to take over as needed.
Under House Bill 7, autonomous vehicle operators would have to clear a number of hurdles before being allowed to deploy a car without a safety driver, including filing plans with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and state police.
“The first step is very extensive mapping of the topography — understanding the very specific area that they are going to be deployed,” said Farrah, of the AV association. “Then there is deep engagement with local authorities to make sure they’re aware of what the companies are trying to accomplish.”
Each driverless vehicle would have carry at least $1 million in insurance protection, which Kentucky lawmakers upped to $5 million in the final version of the 2023 bill.
The lead sponsor of House Bill 7, Rep. Josh Bray, R-Mount Vernon, did not respond to requests for comment submitted through the caucus’ spokeswoman.
In vetoing the legislation last year, Beshear cited safety concerns and wrote that states that have authorized AVs have done so only after “careful study and consideration, and with extensive testing periods that require a licensed human being to be behind the wheel.”
Beshear, a Democrat, is a close ally of organized labor, which has voiced concerns about AVs.
“We are not naïve to think this day is not coming — we just don’t believe it is something that should be jumped into, full throttle,” said Dustin Reinstedler, president of the Kentucky AFL-CIO, the umbrella group for unions. “We think there should be some time to study, and while that time is going on, there still needs to be the human element (in the vehicle) that can make those fast decisions and be able to take over as necessary.”
Reach reporter Chris Otts at 502-585-0822, cotts@wdrb.com, on Twitter or on Facebook. Copyright 2024. WDRB Media. All rights reserved.
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