Texas 2015 - 84th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB1167 Compare Versions

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1	1	By: Ellis S.B. No. 1167
2	2
3	3
4	4	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
5	5	AN ACT
6	6	relating to relating to autonomous motor vehicles.
7	7	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
8	8	SECTION 1. Subchapter F, Chapter 521, Transportation Code,
9	9	is amended by adding Section 521.1236 to read as follows:
10	10	Sec. 521.1236. DESIGNATOR ON LICENSE ISSUED FOR OPERATING
11	11	AUTONOMOUS MOTOR VEHICLE. (a) In this section, "autonomous motor
12	12	vehicle" has the meaning assigned by Section 545.428,
13	13	Transportation Code.
14	14	(b) The department shall establish a program to provide an
15	15	autonomous motor vehicle operation designation either on the face
16	16	of a driver's license or on the reverse side of the driver's license
17	17	issued to a person who is authorized to operate an autonomous motor
18	18	vehicle under Section 545.428.
19	19	SECTION 2. Section 541.001(1), Transportation Code, is
20	20	amended to read as follows:
21	21	(1) "Operator" means, as used in reference to a
22	22	vehicle, a person who drives or has physical control of a vehicle,
23	23	except as provided by Section 545.428(b).
24	24	SECTION 3. Subchapter I, Chapter 545, Transportation Code,
25	25	is amended by adding Section 545.428 to read as follows:
26	26	Sec. 545.428. OPERATION OF AUTONOMOUS MOTOR VEHICLES; PILOT
27	27	PROGRAM. (a) In this section:
28	28	(1) "Autonomous motor vehicle" means a motor vehicle
29	29	that is capable of using autonomous technology to operate itself
30	30	without the active control or continuous monitoring of a person.
31	31	(2) "Autonomous technology" means technology
32	32	installed on a motor vehicle enabling the vehicle to operate
33	33	without the active control or continuous monitoring of a person.
34	34	The term does not include, except to the extent that such a system
35	35	may be a component of autonomous technology, individual safety
36	36	systems or driver assistance systems that enhance safety or provide
37	37	driver assistance, but are not individually capable of operating a
38	38	motor vehicle without the active control or continuous monitoring
39	39	of a person, such as systems designed to provide:
40	40	(A) collision avoidance;
41	41	(B) electronic blind spot assistance;
42	42	(C) crash avoidance;
43	43	(D) automated emergency braking;
44	44	(E) parking assistance;
45	45	(F) adaptive cruise control;
46	46	(G) lane keep assistance;
47	47	(H) lane departure warning; or
48	48	(I) traffic jam and queuing assistance.
49	49	(3) "Upfitter" means a person who modifies a motor
50	50	vehicle after manufacturing to convert the motor vehicle into an
51	51	autonomous motor vehicle.
52	52	(b) An operator of an autonomous motor vehicle operating
53	53	with autonomous technology is:
54	54	(1) a person who causes the vehicle's autonomous
55	55	technology to engage, regardless of whether the person is
56	56	physically in the autonomous motor vehicle while the vehicle is
57	57	operating; or
58	58	(2) a person who is seated in the driver's seat of the
59	59	autonomous motor vehicle and continuously monitors the operation of
60	60	the autonomous motor vehicle.
61	61	(c) A person may not operate an autonomous motor vehicle on
62	62	a roadway or public highway under Subsection (b) unless:
63	63	(1) the person holds a driver's license with an
64	64	autonomous motor vehicle designation under Section 521.1236; and
65	65	(2) the person is an employee, contractor, or designee
66	66	of:
67	67	(A) The Texas Department of Safety;
68	68	(B) The Texas Department of Transportation;
69	69	(C) a manufacturer of autonomous motor vehicles
70	70	authorized by the department to operate autonomous motor vehicles;
71	71	or
72	72	(D) an upfitter authorized by the department to
73	73	operate autonomous motor vehicles.
74	74	(d) A person may not disable motor vehicle safety features
75	75	that are required by state and federal law during installation of
76	76	autonomous technology on a motor vehicle or operation of an
77	77	autonomous motor vehicle.
78	78	(e) The department shall adopt rules authorizing the
79	79	operation of autonomous motor vehicles on roadways and public
80	80	highways, including rules:
81	81	(1) establishing minimum requirements that an
82	82	autonomous motor vehicle must meet before the vehicle may be
83	83	operated on a roadway or public highway;
84	84	(2) establishing insurance requirements for:
85	85	(A) autonomous motor vehicle operators;
86	86	(B) manufacturers of autonomous motor vehicles
87	87	operating autonomous motor vehicles; and
88	88	(C) upfitters operating autonomous motor
89	89	vehicles;
90	90	(3) governing the safe operation of autonomous motor
91	91	vehicles on roadways and public highways;
92	92	(4) establishing a method of authorizing
93	93	manufacturers of autonomous motor vehicles and upfitters to test
94	94	autonomous motor vehicles and governing the testing of autonomous
95	95	motor vehicles;
96	96	(5) restricting the operation of autonomous motor
97	97	vehicles to certain geographic regions of this state; and
98	98	(f) The Texas Department of Transportation may establish an
99	99	autonomous freight transportation pilot program to collaborate
100	100	with autonomous motor vehicle manufacturers and upfitters to test
101	101	the use of autonomous motor vehicles for heavy freight
102	102	transportation purposes.
103	103	(g) The Texas Department of Transportation shall establish
104	104	a plan to install or deploy roadside infrastructure for a statewide
105	105	wireless communication system to support vehicle-to-infrastructure
106	106	communications that are essential to the proper performance or
107	107	operation of autonomous motor vehicles. The plan must incorporate
108	108	the dedicated short-range communications protocols of the United
109	109	States Department of Transportation and the microwave bands
110	110	allocated by the Federal Communications Commission for dedicated
111	111	short-range communications. The Texas Department of
112	112	Transportation may explore other wireless methods of communication
113	113	for communications that are not essential to the proper performance
114	114	or operation of autonomous motor vehicles.
115	115	SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
116	116	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
117	117	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
118	118	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
119	119	Act takes effect September 1, 2015.