New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy has signed into law a joint resolution creating an advanced autonomous vehicle task force.
The resolution defines “advanced autonomous vehicle” as a motor vehicle equipped with autonomous technology that has a driving automation level of three, four, or five, as defined in the SAE J3016 – the information report related to automated driving systems issued by the Society of Automotive Engineers International that is used by the U.S. Department of Transportation for autonomous vehicle policy guidance.
The purpose of the task force is to conduct a study of advanced autonomous vehicles and to make recommendations on laws, rules, and regulations that the state may enact or adopt “to safely integrate advanced autonomous vehicles” on the state's highways, streets, and roads.
The task force is to consist of eight members, as follows:
- New Jersey's commissioner of the Department of Transportation, who shall serve ex officio, or the commissioner's designee;
- The chief administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, who shall serve ex officio, or the chief administrator's designee;
- The director of the Division of Highway Traffic Safety in the Department of Law and Public Safety, who shall serve ex officio, or the director's designee;
- Three public members appointed by the governor, one with an expertise in highway traffic safety and one with an expertise in autonomous vehicle technology, and one appointed by the governor upon the recommendation of the commissioner of the Department of Banking and Insurance with an expertise in automobile insurance;
- One public member appointed by the governor upon the recommendation of the president of the senate, with an expertise in highway traffic safety; and
- One public member appointed by the governor upon the recommendation of the speaker of the general assembly, with an expertise in autonomous vehicle technology.
Not later than 180 days after the task force's initial meeting, it must issue a report to the governor and to the legislature including, but not limited to, an evaluation of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's safety standards for advanced autonomous vehicles and whether the state should enact stricter safety standards, an evaluation of existing state and federal law concerning advanced autonomous vehicles with a focus on safety standards, an evaluation of existing legislation and regulations in other states concerning advanced autonomous vehicles with a focus on safety standards, recommendations on how New Jersey could safely integrate advanced autonomous vehicles on its highways, streets, and roads, and any other information relevant to the subject of the report.


