Maryland 2025 Regular Session

Maryland Senate Bill SB949 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	sb0949
6	6
7	7	SENATE BILL 949
8	8	R5 5lr1928
9	9	CF 5lr2803
10	10	By: Senators Love, Benson, Gile, Hettleman, Lam, Muse, and Smith
11	11	Introduced and read first time: January 28, 2025
12	12	Assigned to: Judicial Proceedings
13	13
14	14	A BILL ENTITLED
15	15
16	16	AN ACT concerning 1
17	17
18	18	Vehicle Laws – Fully Autonomous Vehicles 2
19	19
20	20	FOR the purpose of establishing certain standards and requirements for the operation of 3
21	21	fully autonomous vehicles on highways in the State; and generally relating to fully 4
22	22	autonomous vehicles. 5
23	23
24	24	BY adding to 6
25	25	Article – Transportation 7
26	26	Section 21–1501 through 21–1505 to be under the new subtitle “Subtitle 15. Fully 8
27	27	Autonomous Vehicles” 9
28	28	Annotated Code of Maryland 10
29	29	(2020 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 11
30	30
31	31	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 12
32	32	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 13
33	33
34	34	Article – Transportation 14
35	35
36	36	SUBTITLE 15. FULLY AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES. 15
37	37
38	38	21–1501. 16
39	39
40	40	(A) IN THIS SUBTITLE THE FOLLOWING WORDS HAVE THE MEANINGS 17
41	41	INDICATED. 18
42	42
43	43	(B) “AUTOMATED DRIVING SYS TEM” MEANS THE HARDWARE A ND 19
44	44	SOFTWARE THAT ARE CO LLECTIVELY CAPABLE O F PERFORMING THE ENT IRE 20
45	45	DYNAMIC DRIVING TASK ON A SUSTAINED BASIS , REGARDLESS OF WHETHE R IT IS 21
46	46	LIMITED TO A SPECIFI C OPERATIONAL DESIGN DOMAIN. 22
47	47	2 SENATE BILL 949
48	48
49	49
50	50	(C) “DYNAMIC DRIVING TASK ” MEANS ALL OF THE REA L–TIME 1
51	51	OPERATIONAL FUNCTION S REQUIRED TO OPERAT E A MOTOR VEHICLE ON A 2
52	52	HIGHWAY, INCLUDING: 3
53	53
54	54	(1) LATERAL VEHICLE MOTIO N CONTROL THROUGH STEERING; 4
55	55
56	56	(2) LONGITUDINAL MOTION C ONTROL THROUGH ACCELERATION 5
57	57	AND DECELERATION ; 6
58	58
59	59	(3) MONITORING THE DRIVIN G ENVIRONMENT THROUGH OBJECT 7
60	60	AND EVENT DETECTION , RECOGNITION , CLASSIFICATION , AND RESPONSE 8
61	61	PREPARATION ; 9
62	62
63	63	(4) OBJECT AND EVENT RESP ONSE EXECUTION ; 10
64	64
65	65	(5) MANEUVER PLANNING ; AND 11
66	66
67	67	(6) SIGNALING WITH LIGHTS OR GESTU RES. 12
68	68
69	69	(D) (1) “FULLY AUTONOMOUS VEHI CLE” MEANS A MOTOR VEHICLE 13
70	70	EQUIPPED WITH AN AUT OMATED DRIVING SYSTE M DESIGNED TO FUNCTI ON 14
71	71	WITHOUT A HUMAN DRIV ER. 15
72	72
73	73	(2) “FULLY AUTONOMOUS VEHI CLE” INCLUDES A LEVEL 4 OR 5 16
74	74	SYSTEM AS DEFINED BY “TAXONOMY AND DEFINITIONS FOR TERMS RELATED TO 17
75	75	DRIVING AUTOMATION SYSTEMS FOR ON–ROAD MOTOR VEHICLES” PUBLISHED BY 18
76	76	THE SOCIETY OF AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERS INTERNATIONAL . 19
77	77
78	78	(E) “MINIMAL RISK CONDITIO N” MEANS A LOW–RISK CONDITION A FULLY 20
79	79	AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE ACHIEVES, BY WAY OF THE HUMAN DRIVER OR THE 21
80	80	AUTOMATED DRIVING SY STEM, WHEN THE VEHICLE CAN NOT SAFELY CONTINUE THE 22
81	81	TRIP. 23
82	82
83	83	(F) “OPERATIONAL DESIGN DO MAIN” MEANS OPERATING COND ITIONS 24
84	84	UNDER WHICH A GIVEN AUTOMATED DRIVING SY STEM IS SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED 25
85	85	TO FU NCTION, INCLUDING ENVIRONMEN TAL CONDITIONS, ROADWAY 26
86	86	CHARACTERISTICS , OR TIME–OF–DAY RESTRICTIONS . 27
87	87
88	88	21–1502. 28
89	89
90	90	(A) A PERSON MAY OPERATE A FULLY AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE ON A 29
91	91	HIGHWAY IN THE STATE WITHOUT A HUMAN DRIV ER AND WITH THE AUTO MATED 30
92	92	DRIVING SYSTEM ENGAG ED IF THE VEHICLE MEETS THE FOLLOWING CONDITIONS: 31 SENATE BILL 949 3
93	93
94	94
95	95
96	96	(1) IF A FAILURE OF THE A UTOMATED DRIVING SYS TEM OCCURS 1
97	97	THAT RENDERS THE SYSTEM UNABLE TO PER FORM THE ENTIRE DYNA MIC DRIVING 2
98	98	TASK RELEVAN T TO ITS INTENDED OP ERATIONAL DESIGN DOM AIN, THE FULLY 3
99	99	AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE W ILL ACHIEVE A MINIMA L RISK CONDITION ; 4
100	100
101	101	(2) THE FULLY AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE IS CAPABLE OF OPERATING IN 5
102	102	ACCORDANCE WITH THE MARYLAND VEHICLE LAW, UNLESS AN EXEMPTION HAS 6
103	103	BEEN GRANTED BY THE ADMINISTRATION ; AND 7
104	104
105	105	(3) THE FULLY AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE BEARS THE REQUIRED 8
106	106	MANUFACTURER ’S CERTIFICATION LABEL INDICATING THAT THE VEHICLE IS IN 9
107	107	COMPLIANCE WITH ALL APPLICABLE FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY 10
108	108	STANDARDS, INCLUDING REFERENCE TO ANY EXEMPTI ON GRANTED BY THE 11
109	109	NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION . 12
110	110
111	111	(B) (1) BEFORE OPERATING A FULLY AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE ON A 13
112	112	HIGHWAY IN THE STATE WITHOUT A HUMAN DRIV ER AND WITH THE AUTO MATED 14
113	113	DRIVING SYSTEM ENGAG ED, A PERSON SHALL SUBMI T A LAW ENFORCEMENT 15
114	114	INTERACTION PLAN TO THE ADMINISTRATION . 16
115	115
116	116	(2) A LAW ENFORCEMENT INTE RACTION PLAN SHALL CONTAIN 17
117	117	INFORMATION ON : 18
118	118
119	119	(I) HOW TO COMMUNICATE WI TH A FLEET SUPPORT 19
120	120	SPECIALIST WHO IS AV AILABLE DURING THE T IMES THE FULLY AUTONOMOUS 20
121	121	VEHICLE IS IN OPERAT ION; 21
122	122
123	123	(II) HOW TO SAFELY REMOVE THE FULLY AUTONOMOUS 22
124	124	VEHICLE FROM THE HIG HWAY AND STEPS TO PROPERLY TOW THE VEHICLE ; 23
125	125
126	126	(III) HOW TO RECOGNIZE WHET HER THE FULLY AUTONOMOUS 24
127	127	VEHICLE IS OPERATING AUTONOMOUSLY ; AND 25
128	128
129	129	(IV) ANY OTHER INFORMATION THAT THE MANUFACTURER , 26
130	130	OWNER, OR ADMINISTRATION CONSIDERS NECESSARY , INCLUDING INFORMATIO N 27
131	131	REGARDING HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS OR PUBLIC SAFETY RISKS ASSOCIA TED WITH 28
132	132	THE OPERATION OF A FULLY AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE . 29
133	133
134	134	(C) BEFORE OPERATING A FULLY AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE O N A HIGHWAY IN 30
135	135	THE STATE WITHOUT A HUMAN DRIV ER AND WITH THE AUTO MATED DRIVING 31
136	136	SYSTEM ENGAGED , THE OWNER OF THE VEHICLE SHALL SUBMIT PROOF O F 32
137	137	REQUIRED SECURITY TO THE ADMINISTRATION ON THE FORM THE 33 4 SENATE BILL 949
138	138
139	139
140	140	ADMINISTRATION PROVID ES. 1
141	141
142	142	(D) WHEN A FULLY AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE I S OPERATING WITH THE 2
143	143	AUTOMATED DRIVING SYSTEM ENGAG ED, THE AUTOMATED DRIVING SYSTEM IS 3
144	144	CONSIDERED TO : 4
145	145
146	146	(1) BE THE VEHICLE OPERATOR FOR DETERMINING COMPLIANCE 5
147	147	WITH THE MARYLAND VEHICLE LAW; 6
148	148
149	149	(2) SATISFY ELECTRONICALL Y ALL PHYSICAL ACTS REQUIRED BY A 7
150	150	VEHICLE DRIVER; AND 8
151	151
152	152	(3) BE LICENSED TO OPERATE THE VEHIC LE. 9
153	153
154	154	(E) (1) A HUMAN DRIVER MAY OPERATE A FULLY AUTONOMOUS VEH ICLE 10
155	155	IF THE AUTOMATED DRIVIN G SYSTEM IS NOT ENGAGED . 11
156	156
157	157	(2) A PERSON SHALL OPERATE A FULLY AUTONOMOUS V EHICLE IF 12
158	158	THE AUTOMATED DRIVIN G SYSTEM MAKES A REQUEST FOR THE PERSON TO 13
159	159	INTERVENE WHEN THE AUTOMATED DRIVIN G SYSTEM IS NOT CAPA BLE OF 14
160	160	PERFORMING THE ENTIR E DYNAMIC DRIVING TA SK WITHIN THE OPERATION AL 15
161	161	DESIGN DOMAIN . 16
162	162
163	163	(F) (1) IN THE EVENT OF A VEH ICLE CRASH INVOLVING A FULLY 17
164	164	AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE , THE FULLY AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE AND THE OPERATOR OR 18
165	165	PASSENGER IN THE FULLY AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE SHALL COMPLY WITH THE 19
166	166	REQUIREMENTS UNDER TITLE 20 OF THIS ARTICLE. 20
167	167
168	168	(2) ALL NOTICE AND REPORT ING REQUIREMENTS UNDER TITLE 20 21
169	169	OF THIS ARTICLE SHAL L BE SATISFIED WITHIN 15 DAYS AFTER A VEHICLE CRASH 22
170	170	INVOLVING A FULLY AUTONOMOUS VEH ICLE, UNLESS AN EXTENSION IS GRANTED 23
171	171	UNDER TITLE 20 OF THIS ARTICLE. 24
172	172
173	173	21–1503. 25
174	174
175	175	(A) SUBJECT TO SUBSECTION (B) OF THIS SECTION , A TRANSPORTATION 26
176	176	NETWORK COMPANY , FOR–HIRE VEHICLE COMPANY , OR OTHER GROUND 27
177	177	PASSENGER TRANSPORTA TION COMPANY MAY USE FULLY AUTONO MOUS VEHICLES . 28
178	178
179	179	(B) ANY PROVISION OF THE MARYLAND VEHICLE LAW THAT BY ITS NATURE 29
180	180	APPLIES ONLY TO A HUMAN DRIVER DO ES NOT APPLY TO THE OPERATOR OF A FULLY 30
181	181	AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE WITH THE AUTOMATED D RIVING SYSTEM ENGAGE D BEING 31
182	182	USED BY A TRANSPORTA TION NETWORK COMPANY , FOR–HIRE VEHICLE COMPANY , 32 SENATE BILL 949 5
183	183
184	184
185	185	OR OTHER GROUND PASS ENGER TRANSPORTATION COMPANY. 1
186	186
187	187	21–1504. 2
188	188
189	189	THE MOTOR VEHICLE TIT LE AND REGISTRATION FOR A FULLY AUTONOMO US 3
190	190	VEHICLE SHALL IDENTIFY THE V EHICLE AS A “FULLY AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE”. 4
191	191
192	192	21–1505. 5
193	193
194	194	A STATE AGENCY OR LOCAL POLITICAL SUBDIVISIO N MAY NOT PROHIBIT THE 6
195	195	OPERATION OF FULLY A UTONOMOUS VEHICLES ON HIGHWAYS UNDER THEIR 7
196	196	JURISDICTION. 8
197	197
198	198	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 9
199	199	October 1, 2025. 10