SALT LAKE CITY — As Congress works to clear the path for the quickly advancing realm of autonomous vehicles, Utah legislators are considering their own slate of tasks to help put driverless cars on the highways and byways of the Beehive State.
And the expected regulatory changes will not be coming a moment too soon as manufacturers in the U.S. and elsewhere are poised to put partly autonomous (Level 3) vehicles on U.S. roads as early as 2018, with production of fully autonomous (Level 5) cars, trucks and SUVs likely in the next three to four years.
Rep. Robert Spendlove, R-Sandy, has been in the point position among Utah lawmakers on a two-part effort to make way for the state’s driverless future. First, to ensure current rules — mostly written before autonomous vehicles were even conceived of — aren’t a hindrance to bringing the new vehicles online; and second, to explore what new legislation may help put Utah out in front as many states vie for economic advantages likely to come with being an amenable locale for testing and development.
