Wisconsin has to get in gear if it wants to be on the forefront of self-driving vehicles and other high-growth technologies, says the chairman of the Assembly Committee on Jobs and the Economy.
Rep. Adam Neylon insists pushing for a regulatory framework that reduces limitations on self-driving vehicle testing will be good for the state in multiple ways. One way to do that more effectively, he says, is to create a task force on automated vehicle legislation.
He spoke to this need Tuesday at a meeting of the Wisconsin Technology Council’s Innovation Network in Madison, where one of only 10 DOT-approved partnerships in the country testing self-driving vehicles is located.
“I imagine, by next session, if we don’t have legislation, we might fall behind other states,” said Neylon, R-Pewaukee. “There’s quite a few states that have already done legislation to allow self-driving vehicles outside of those test sites.”
Neylon envisions the task force as a group of affected parties like motorcycle advocates, manufacturers, insurance companies and others — anyone who has stake in the game. By coming together and voicing concerns, the group could “come up with a regulatory framework that allows for growth, that’s nonrestrictive, [and] puts public safety as a top priority,” he said. Read the full story here.
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