A bill recently passed by the Colorado legislature that would have banned the use of driverless commercial vehicles in the state was vetoed last month by Colorado Gov. Jared Polis.
The bill would have prohibited the use of autonomous driving systems on Colorado roadways unless a CDL holder:
- Was physically present in the truck
- Was seated in the driver’s seat while hazmat was being transported
- Monitored the performance of the truck while driving
- Intervened, if necessary, to avoid illegal or unsafe driving of the vehicle
The penalties for violating the provisions of the bill would have been $1,000 for a first offense, $2,000 for a second offense, and would have doubled for each subsequent offense.
In vetoing the bill, Polis says the legislation “would effectively create a first-in-the-nation prohibition on autonomous commercial vehicle testing and operations.”
Polis adds, “[D]river error is the leading cause of accidents. Preserving tools which could make Coloradans safer is critical, especially as we've observed higher crash rates nationwide.” He noted that requiring a driver to be present in the autonomous truck “may undermine innovation of future technologies that could increase road safety.”
