Georgia Bill Passes

Georgia bill SB 219 passed. I discussed the bill in an earlier post when the legislature of the Peach State had a few bills under consideration.

The Georgia law is a big win for tech companies that prefer to stay out of the automobile manufacturing business. A different bill had favored the car companies. Now we have a law that is manufacturer and technology agnostic.

The law also conceives of a significantly and wholly autonomous transportation world. No person need be inside a vehicle or have hands on the wheel. (And yes, that is a Confederate flag in the image.)

Electric bikes?

Weird provisions define and bring within the motor vehicle regulatory purview "electric assisted bicycles" and "'electric personal assistive mobility device' or 'EPAMD'," which seem to be power wheelchairs and scooters.

Another odd provision is that only until Jan. 1, 2020,  will autonomous vehicles - or AVs- be required to bear two and a half times more liability coverage than a conventional vehicle. After that, all vehicles will be equal in the eyes of the law.

Hello operator

An operator of a vehicle is not defined as the software or the vehicle itself, but rather as the person who causes the autonomous vehicle to engage, presumably whether or not the person is present inside the vehicle. Neither the operator of an autonomous vehicle nor the vehicle itself will be required to possess a Georgia driver's license - further imagining a world where humans do not drive.

Unlike other states, Georgia requires that in the event of an "accident" (not using the PC word - crash) the vehicle remain at the scene AND that the vehicle contacts law enforcement. Other laws require only that the vehicle report to law enforcement.

The autonomous vehicle must be registered in Georgia or in another state.

In all other ways, autonomous vehicles are regulated in accordance with normal vehicular regulations.

Hopes riding high

According to a news report from earlier this week, Georgia officials are pinning their hopes that this early - really, not that early - AV legislation will attract companies to test and otherwise shine a money-producing light on the Peach State.