Arizona Passes AV Law - Here's the Deep Dive

The Arizona bill, which passed unanimously,  HB 2813 has been signed by Gov. Ducey. The new law firmly keeps Arizona in the "welcome mat" category of US state autonomous vehicle (AV) statutes. Surprisingly, the statute also covers vehicles with a significant level of partial automation as well as fully AVs.

Partial automation - Think SAE levels 2-3 Tesla and Tesla-ish driver assist systems

The Arizona law requires a human driver is o be present in a vehicle that does not have the capability to reach a minimal risk condition on its own or with remote service. The law also provides for vehicle requests from a partially automated vehicle for a human driver to take over operation. Wake up! It's time to instantly become aware of your surroundings and operate heavy machinery in a complex environment. All I can think of is the wake-up, take-your-eyes-off-the-TV-show-or-video-game alert should vary by type of person. Some of us need more time than others. 

Photo of a Delaware beach. 

In the irksome category, the law uses the word "accident" instead of "crash," which is itself problematic, given the auto-oriented roadways in even the largest Arizona cities, let alone its small towns. Have you ever spent a weekend in downtown Phoenix? Nothing happening; a ghost town with some cars going through. 

Usual and unusual AV law stuff

The law requires the fully autonomous vehicle (AV) to be capable of stopping at the scene of a crash, which means recognizing that a crash has occurred.

AVs may operate without a human driver ready to take over operation of the vehicle if the person - never defined, but presumably responsible - for the AV submits a "law enforcement interaction plan to the department of transportation and the department of public safety that is consistent with and addresses all of the elements in the law enforcement protocol that was issued by the department of public safety on May 14, 2018." This looks a like a law that assumes a fleet-based model of AV business for the foreseeable future.

The law anticipates passage of federal legislation and compliance with its dictates. It also anticipates AV ridehailing - a/k/a robotaxi - fleets. In fact, AV ridehailing pickups and drop-offs are totally fine. For whatever a paid driver did, you are on your own. The AV will not be lifting your luggage unless it's an accessible AV, in which case you will be provided with a ramp and relief from back pain. That little digression, of course, is true of all AVs and gets to my belief that vehicle manufacturers, if they choose, have much profit to gain by manufacturing accessible vehicles, particularly AVs.

Hand lettering of "Moving in public."

Commercial AVs are permitted to operate as well in Arizona.

Local and municipal preemption.

The Department of Transportation and the Department of Public Safety are the only state agencies that may implement or enforce this chapter, except that neither agency may prescribe procedures or rules that are unreasonable or unduly burdensome.

Pretty standard stuff.