Maryland 2025 Regular Session

Maryland House Bill HB1256 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1
2	2
3	3	EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW.
4	4	[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
5	5	hb1256
6	6
7	7	HOUSE BILL 1256
8	8	R5 5lr2803
9	9	CF SB 949
10	10	By: Delegates Ziegler, Feldmark, Hornberger, Lehman, Roberts, Schmidt, Wims,
11	11	Wivell, Wu, and Young
12	12	Introduced and read first time: February 7, 2025
13	13	Assigned to: Environment and Transportation
14	14
15	15	A BILL ENTITLED
16	16
17	17	AN ACT concerning 1
18	18
19	19	Vehicle Laws – Fully Autonomous Vehicles 2
20	20
21	21	FOR the purpose of establishing certain standards and requirements for the operation of 3
22	22	fully autonomous vehicles on highways in the State; and generally relating to fully 4
23	23	autonomous vehicles. 5
24	24
25	25	BY adding to 6
26	26	Article – Transportation 7
27	27	Section 21–1501 through 21–1505 to be under the new subtitle “Subtitle 15. Fully 8
28	28	Autonomous Vehicles” 9
29	29	Annotated Code of Maryland 10
30	30	(2020 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 11
31	31
32	32	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 12
33	33	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 13
34	34
35	35	Article – Transportation 14
36	36
37	37	SUBTITLE 15. FULLY AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES. 15
38	38
39	39	21–1501. 16
40	40
41	41	(A) IN THIS SUBTITLE THE FO LLOWING WORDS HAVE T HE MEANINGS 17
42	42	INDICATED. 18
43	43
44	44	(B) “AUTOMATED DRIVING SYS TEM” MEANS THE HARDWARE A ND 19
45	45	SOFTWARE THAT ARE CO LLECTIVELY CAPABLE O F PERFORMING THE ENT IRE 20
46	46	DYNAMIC DRIVING TASK ON A SUSTAINED BASIS , REGARDLESS OF WHETHE R IT IS 21
47	47	LIMITED TO A SPECIFIC OPERATIONAL DESIGN D OMAIN. 22 2 HOUSE BILL 1256
48	48
49	49
50	50
51	51	(C) “DYNAMIC DRIVING TASK ” MEANS ALL OF THE REA L–TIME 1
52	52	OPERATIONAL FUNCTION S REQUIRED TO OPERAT E A MOTOR VEHICLE ON A 2
53	53	HIGHWAY, INCLUDING: 3
54	54
55	55	(1) LATERAL VEHICLE MOTIO N CONTROL THROUGH ST EERING; 4
56	56
57	57	(2) LONGITUDINAL MOTION CONTRO L THROUGH ACCELERATI ON 5
58	58	AND DECELERATION ; 6
59	59
60	60	(3) MONITORING THE DRIVIN G ENVIRONMENT THROUG H OBJECT 7
61	61	AND EVENT DETECTION , RECOGNITION , CLASSIFICATION , AND RESPONSE 8
62	62	PREPARATION ; 9
63	63
64	64	(4) OBJECT AND EVENT RESP ONSE EXECUTION ; 10
65	65
66	66	(5) MANEUVER PLANNING; AND 11
67	67
68	68	(6) SIGNALING WITH LIGHTS OR GESTURES. 12
69	69
70	70	(D) (1) “FULLY AUTONOMOUS VEHI CLE” MEANS A MOTOR VEHICL E 13
71	71	EQUIPPED WITH AN AUT OMATED DRIVING SYSTE M DESIGNED TO FUNCTI ON 14
72	72	WITHOUT A HUMAN DRIV ER. 15
73	73
74	74	(2) “FULLY AUTONOMOUS VEHI CLE” INCLUDES A LEVEL 4 OR 5 16
75	75	SYSTEM AS DEFINED BY “TAXONOMY AND DEFINITIONS FOR TERMS RELATED TO 17
76	76	DRIVING AUTOMATION SYSTEMS FOR ON–ROAD MOTOR VEHICLES” PUBLISHED BY 18
77	77	THE SOCIETY OF AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERS INTERNATIONAL . 19
78	78
79	79	(E) “MINIMAL RISK CONDITIO N” MEANS A LOW –RISK CONDITION A FUL LY 20
80	80	AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE A CHIEVES, BY WAY OF THE HUMAN DRIVER OR THE 21
81	81	AUTOMATED DRIVING SY STEM, WHEN THE VEHICLE CAN NOT SAFELY CONTINUE THE 22
82	82	TRIP. 23
83	83
84	84	(F) “OPERATIONAL DESIGN DO MAIN” MEANS OPERATING COND ITIONS 24
85	85	UNDER WHICH A GIVEN AUTOMATED DRIVING SY STEM IS SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED 25
86	86	TO FUNCTION , INCLUDING ENVIRONMEN TAL CONDITIONS , ROADWAY 26
87	87	CHARACTERISTICS , OR TIME–OF–DAY RESTRICTIONS . 27
88	88
89	89	21–1502. 28
90	90
91	91	(A) A PERSON MAY OPERATE A FULLY AUTONOMOUS VEH ICLE ON A 29
92	92	HIGHWAY IN THE STATE WITHOUT A HUMAN DRIVER AND WITH THE AUTOMATED 30 HOUSE BILL 1256 3
93	93
94	94
95	95	DRIVING SYSTEM ENGAGED IF THE VEHICLE MEETS THE FOLLOWING CONDIT IONS: 1
96	96
97	97	(1) IF A FAILURE OF THE A UTOMATED DRIVING SYS TEM OCCURS 2
98	98	THAT RENDERS THE SYS TEM UNABLE TO PERFOR M THE ENTIRE DYNAMIC DRIVING 3
99	99	TASK RELEVANT TO ITS INTENDED OPERATIONAL DESIGN DOMAIN , THE FULLY 4
100	100	AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE W ILL ACHIEVE A MINIMA L RISK CONDITION ; 5
101	101
102	102	(2) THE FULLY AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE IS CAPABLE O F OPERATING IN 6
103	103	ACCORDANCE WITH THE MARYLAND VEHICLE LAW, UNLESS AN EXEMPTION HAS 7
104	104	BEEN GRANTED BY THE ADMINISTRATION ; AND 8
105	105
106	106	(3) THE FULLY AUTON OMOUS VEHICLE BEARS THE REQUIRED 9
107	107	MANUFACTURER ’S CERTIFICATION LABE L INDICATING THAT TH E VEHICLE IS IN 10
108	108	COMPLIANCE WITH ALL APPLICABLE FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY 11
109	109	STANDARDS, INCLUDING REFERENCE TO ANY EXEMPTION GRA NTED BY THE 12
110	110	NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION . 13
111	111
112	112	(B) (1) BEFORE OPERATING A FU LLY AUTONOMOUS VEHIC LE ON A 14
113	113	HIGHWAY IN THE STATE WITHOUT A HUMAN DRIVER AND WITH THE AUTOMATED 15
114	114	DRIVING SYSTEM ENGAG ED, A PERSON SHALL SUBMI T A LAW ENFORCEMENT 16
115	115	INTERACTION PLAN TO THE ADMINISTRATION . 17
116	116
117	117	(2) A LAW ENFORCEMENT INTE RACTION PLAN SHALL C ONTAIN 18
118	118	INFORMATION ON : 19
119	119
120	120	(I) HOW TO COMMUNICATE WI TH A FLEET SUPPORT 20
121	121	SPECIALIST WHO IS AV AILABLE DURING THE T IMES THE FULLY AUTON OMOUS 21
122	122	VEHICLE IS IN OPERAT ION; 22
123	123
124	124	(II) HOW TO SAFELY REMOVE THE FULLY AUTONOMOUS 23
125	125	VEHICLE FROM THE HIGHWA Y AND STEPS TO PROPE RLY TOW THE VEHICLE ; 24
126	126
127	127	(III) HOW TO RECOGNIZE WHET HER THE FULLY AUTONO MOUS 25
128	128	VEHICLE IS OPERATING AUTONOMOUSLY ; AND 26
129	129
130	130	(IV) ANY OTHER INFORMATION THAT THE MANUFACTURE R, 27
131	131	OWNER, OR ADMINISTRATION CONSID ERS NECESSARY , INCLUDING INFORMATIO N 28
132	132	REGARDING HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS OR PUBLIC SAFETY RISKS ASSOCIA TED WITH 29
133	133	THE OPERATION OF A F ULLY AUTONOMOUS VEHI CLE. 30
134	134
135	135	(C) BEFORE OPERATING A FU LLY AUTONOMOUS VEHIC LE ON A HIGHWAY IN 31
136	136	THE STATE WITHOUT A HUMAN DRIVER AND WITH THE AUTOMAT ED DRIVING 32
137	137	SYSTEM ENGAGED , THE OWNER OF THE VEH ICLE SHALL SUBMIT PR OOF OF 33 4 HOUSE BILL 1256
138	138
139	139
140	140	REQUIRED SECURITY TO THE ADMINISTRATION ON THE FORM THE 1
141	141	ADMINISTRATION PROVID ES. 2
142	142
143	143	(D) WHEN A FULLY AUTONOMO US VEHICLE IS OPERAT ING WITH THE 3
144	144	AUTOMATED DRIVING SY STEM ENGAGED , THE AUTOMATED DRIVING SYSTE M IS 4
145	145	CONSIDERED TO : 5
146	146
147	147	(1) BE THE VEHICLE OPERAT OR FOR DETERMINING C OMPLIANCE 6
148	148	WITH THE MARYLAND VEHICLE LAW; 7
149	149
150	150	(2) SATISFY ELECTRONICALL Y ALL PHYSICAL ACTS REQUIRED BY A 8
151	151	VEHICLE DRIVER ; AND 9
152	152
153	153	(3) BE LICENSED TO OPERAT E THE VEHICLE. 10
154	154
155	155	(E) (1) A HUMAN DRIVER MAY OPE RATE A FULLY AUTONOM OUS VEHICLE 11
156	156	IF THE AUTOMATED DRI VING SYSTEM IS NOT E NGAGED. 12
157	157
158	158	(2) A PERSON SHALL OPERATE A FULLY AUTONOMOUS V EHICLE IF 13
159	159	THE AUTOMATED DRIVIN G SYSTEM MAKES A REQ UEST FOR THE PERSON TO 14
160	160	INTERVENE WHEN THE A UTOMATED DRIVING SYST EM IS NOT CAPABLE OF 15
161	161	PERFORMING THE ENTIR E DYNAMIC DRIVING TA SK WITHIN THE OPERAT IONAL 16
162	162	DESIGN DOMAIN . 17
163	163
164	164	(F) (1) IN THE EVENT OF A VEH ICLE CRASH INVOLVING A FULLY 18
165	165	AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE , THE FULLY AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE AND THE OPER ATOR OR 19
166	166	PASSENGER IN THE FULLY AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE SHALL COMPLY WITH THE 20
167	167	REQUIREMENTS UNDER TITLE 20 OF THIS ARTICLE. 21
168	168
169	169	(2) ALL NOTICE AND REPORT ING REQUIREMENTS UND ER TITLE 20 22
170	170	OF THIS ARTICLE SHAL L BE SATISFIED WITHI N 15 DAYS AFTER A VEHICLE CRASH 23
171	171	INVOLVING A FULLY AU TONOMOUS VEHICLE , UNLESS AN EXTENSION IS GRANTED 24
172	172	UNDER TITLE 20 OF THIS ARTICLE. 25
173	173
174	174	21–1503. 26
175	175
176	176	(A) SUBJECT TO SUBSECTION (B) OF THIS SECTION , A TRANSPORTATION 27
177	177	NETWORK COMPANY , FOR–HIRE VEHICLE COMPANY , OR OTHER GROUND 28
178	178	PASSENGER TRANSPORTA TION COMPANY MAY USE FULLY AUTONOMOUS VEH ICLES. 29
179	179
180	180	(B) ANY PROVISION OF THE MARYLAND VEHICLE LAW THAT BY ITS NATUR E 30
181	181	APPLIES ONLY TO A HUMAN DRIVER DO ES NOT APPLY TO THE OPERATOR OF A FULLY 31
182	182	AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE W ITH THE AUTOMATED DR IVING SYSTEM ENGAGED BEING 32 HOUSE BILL 1256 5
183	183
184	184
185	185	USED BY A TRANSPORTA TION NETWORK COMPANY , FOR–HIRE VEHICLE COMPANY , 1
186	186	OR OTHER GROUND PASS ENGER TRANSPORTATION COMPANY. 2
187	187
188	188	21–1504. 3
189	189
190	190	THE MOTOR VEHICLE TIT LE AND REGISTRATION FOR A FULLY AUTONOMO US 4
191	191	VEHICLE SHALL IDENTI FY THE VEHICLE AS A “FULLY AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE”. 5
192	192
193	193	21–1505. 6
194	194
195	195	A STATE AGENCY OR LOCAL POLITICAL SUBDIVISIO N MAY NOT PROHIBIT T HE 7
196	196	OPERATION OF FULLY A UTONOMOUS VEHICLES O N HIGHWAYS UNDER THEIR 8
197	197	JURISDICTION. 9
198	198
199	199	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 10
200	200	October 1, 2025. 11
201	201