A task force recommending policies for testing self-driving vehicles in Pennsylvania tried to balance public safety with the reality of continuing innovation.
Recommendations by the Autonomous Vehicle Policy Task Force, released in a 34-page report Tuesday, would require companies to register with the state if they want to test self-driving vehicles; report the size of their testing fleet, total miles traveled and hours on the highway every six months; and inform the state if self-driving vehicles are involved in any reportable accidents.
But the recommendations suggest policies that can easily be adjusted as needed by the state Department of Transportation rather than regulations that would require legislative approval for any changes. And the testing regimen wouldn’t be as restrictive as in states such as California, which requires researchers to report to the state every time a safety driver on a test vehicle has to touch the brakes or take some other action to override the automated system.
“Yes, they are broad,” said Kurt Myers, co-chairman of the task force and PennDOT’s deputy secretary for driver and vehicle services.
“The fact is, the task force focused on policies … to ensure flexibility as technology emerges.”
Mr. Myers said he expects the recommendations to be incorporated in bills to be reintroduced in the state House and Senate early next year. Bills introduced earlier this year as holding places for the recommendations expired when the legislative session ended last month.
Mr. Myers said the task force concluded the type of oversight established in California wouldn’t be helpful to Pennsylvania or the researchers. The goal is to allow the technology to be developed and tested with the least amount of regulation as long as companies meet safety standards required in the proposed four-page testing application, he said.
“Everybody’s focus was on building a foundation based on safety,” Mr. Myers said. “The question becomes, how do you ensure public safety without being so onerous that you are not allowing developers to do what they need to do? Creating reams of reports … doesn’t make a product safer.”
Mr. Myers said it is important for researchers to be able to test self-driving vehicles “in a real-world environment” to prove they can operate safely in actual traffic and road conditions. Pennsylvania is considered a prime area for testing because of changing weather, a variety of roads and conditions, bridges and hilly terrain.
Uber began testing self-driving vehicles in September with free rides for passengers in a limited area of Downtown Pittsburgh and the Strip District. Those vehicles have an emergency driver and technology assistant present to override the automated system, if necessary.
“Let’s make no mistake — we are still at that testing stage,” Mr. Myers said. “There are still a lot of challenges out there. That’s why there still needs to be a driver available.”
The report stresses that the recommendations were not made unanimously and includes more than 20 pages of comments in which participants disagree with parts of the report. The 20-member task force included representatives from five state agencies as well as researchers, industry representatives from Uber and General Motors and trade groups such as AAA and the PA Motor Truck Association.
Uber, for example, made four pages of comments on the recommendations. They include objecting to the application process as “onerous” and a proposal to require state notification every time a testing company shifts to a new location.
“Such hurdles would inhibit testers’ ability to continuously and seamlessly improve this advanced technology,” the company said.
But Raj Rajkumar, head of Carnegie Mellon University’s efforts to produce a self-driving vehicle and another task force member, disagreed.
“I think it is extremely forward-leaning and strikes a fine balance,” he said.
PennDOT Secretary Leslie Richards will host an online public meeting from 7 to 8 p.m. Dec. 12 to present the recommendations and answer questions from the public. Ms. Richards will be joined by Mr. Myers and Roger Cohen, PennDOT policy director who also co-chaired the task force.
To read the report and watch the meeting, go to the autonomous vehicle testing page on the PennDOT website at the scheduled time. Questions can be submitted in advance or during the meeting at penndotav@pa.gov.
Ed Blazina: eblazina@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1470.
First Published: December 6, 2016, 5:59 p.m.
Updated: December 7, 2016, 4:52 a.m.