Bill > HB217

This bill establishes regulations for autonomous vehicles in Alaska, requiring them to meet federal standards for highway operation. It restricts their use in interstate commerce for goods or passengers unless it's for personal, noncommercial use with a vehicle under 10,000 pounds and carrying 16 or fewer people, or if a human safety operator is present and able to intervene. This human operator must meet federal and state requirements for driving. In the event of an accident involving an autonomous vehicle, the human safety operator is presumed liable, with damages first sought from them, then from any modifier, programmer, or manufacturer. The bill exempts small, electrically powered personal delivery devices weighing under 120 pounds and operating at speeds up to 10 miles per hour from these regulations, provided they have technology for operator control or monitoring. The bill also defines "autonomous technology" as systems capable of driving without human intervention, distinguishing it from driver-assistance features, and clarifies terms like "autonomous vehicle," "conditional driving automation," "dynamic driving task," "full driving automation," and "high driving automation," which refer to different levels of a vehicle's ability to drive itself.

Government Affairs, Transportation and Infrastructure

Transportation (House)

https://www.akleg.gov/basis/Bill/Detail/34?Root=HB217