Bill > SB148

This bill establishes comprehensive regulations for autonomous vehicles in Alaska, defining various levels of vehicle automation and setting clear guidelines for their operation. The legislation requires autonomous vehicles to meet federal standards and restricts their use in interstate commerce unless the vehicle has a human safety operator physically present who can monitor and intervene in the vehicle's performance. The bill introduces detailed definitions for autonomous technology, driving automation levels (including conditional, high, and full driving automation), and specifies what constitutes a dynamic driving task. Importantly, the bill creates a liability framework that presumptively holds the human safety operator responsible for accidents, with a potential cascade of liability extending to vehicle modifiers, software programmers, and manufacturers if clear evidence shows a technical failure caused the incident. The bill explicitly excludes certain driver-assistance technologies from being classified as autonomous technology, such as collision avoidance systems and adaptive cruise control. By establishing these regulations, the bill aims to provide a structured approach to integrating autonomous vehicles into Alaska's transportation infrastructure while maintaining safety standards and clarifying legal responsibilities.

Transportation and Infrastructure

https://www.akleg.gov/basis/Bill/Detail/34?Root=SB148