South Dakota moves to regulate automated vehicles

Pierre, SD — A bill that would establish safety and operational regulations for driverless vehicles is advancing through the South Dakota Legislature.

Introduced Jan. 17 by Rep. Roger Chase (R-Huron), H.B. 1095 was approved by the South Dakota House with a 43-25 vote on Jan. 25.

The bill outlines multiple rules concerning Level 4 and 5 autonomous vehicles, including:

• Vehicles must operate in compliance with applicable state traffic and motor vehicle safety laws and regulations.
• Operators must be licensed to operate vehicles.
• Vehicles must remain at the scene of a crash in which they’re involved.
• Fully autonomous commercial motor vehicles should operate pursuant to state laws governing the operation of CMVs, except that any provision that reasonably applies to only a human driver doesn’t apply to a vehicle operating with the automated driving system engaged.

Chase, who supports autonomous vehicles, notes that 34 other states have established laws governing them. “Vehicles right now, if they wanted to come to South Dakota and operate, we have no laws, no regulations, no restrictions on their ability to run on South Dakota roads. It’s a safety issue.”

Chase contends that autonomous vehicles are safer because sensors allow them to abide by the speed limit. He also claims that automated vehicles eliminate the risk of distracted driving and driving while impaired.

In a press release, David Miller, president of the South Dakota Peace Officers’ Association, opposes the bill, saying it “will make our roadways significantly more dangerous and make it more difficult for first responders to do our jobs protecting the public. We have watched closely as driverless cars have hit the roads in cities across the country and we have been alarmed by what we have seen.”