Ting’s Legislation to Improve Public Safety When Autonomous Vehicles Operate On CA Streets Secures Legislative Approval

For immediate release:

Saturday, August 31, 2024

As the autonomous vehicle (AV) industry grows, so must the need to improve road safety. The California State Legislature tonight approved AB 1777 by Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) to set clear guidelines on the use of driverless technology when accidents occur or first responders are encountered, and gives first responders communication and safety tools that don't exist in the law. The legislation prioritizes public safety and aims to protect first responders, passengers, pedestrians, and other drivers.

"Permitted companies recently logged a record nine million test miles during a one year period. It's clear that AVs will be soon be commonplace, and California needs to get ahead of that to ensure safety for all on our streets. My legislation prioritizes public safety without slowing innovation," said Ting, who rode in an AV last year and found it safe.

Ting's proposal creates a process giving law enforcement the ability to cite vehicles and requiring the citation to be reported to the DMV within 72 hours. With enough data, the DMV can better track vehicle safety and adjust permit operations to improve road safety. The bill also standardizes communication and interaction with emergency crews by requiring:

• A dedicated phone line to AV companies for first responders
• Two-way interior and exterior communication system, so that nearby first responders can talk to someone at the AV company without compromising safety
• Opt-in geo-fencing, which are virtual boundaries around a physical location to trigger an action

AB 1777 is a direct response to issues experienced in San Francisco, one of two cities globally to test and operate fully autonomous vehicles on their roads. Phoenix is the other. In San Francisco, incidents include disrupting traffic, rolling over, then dragging a pedestrian, impeding firefighting response at multiple scenes and driving into crime scenes.

"The San Francisco Fire Department is grateful for Assemblymember Ting's hard work on Assembly Bill 1777 and the critical first steps it takes to improve interactions between autonomous vehicles and first responders. As the industry evolves and expands, we anticipate future work and will build on the relationships fostered between the Legislature, industry, and public safety agencies," said Darius Luttropp, Deputy Chief of Operations for the San Francisco Fire Department.

The Governor has until September 30 to act on all bills sent to him this month.