摘要: |
This report addresses the matter of autonomous vehicles and the regulation of their operation in the state of Louisiana. It was prepared in response to a request from the Louisiana State Legislature to study the subject of autonomous vehicles and provide recommendations on legislative and regulatory action to best accommodate this emerging technology. The methodology employed included reviewing the state of the art as published in the literature and other media, noting practice in other states, considering agencies involved and the role they have, and identifying the main issues facing the development of autonomous vehicles today. What was found is that there is an exponential growth in interest in the subject, both officially and among the public at large, that some unrealistic expectations as to what autonomous vehicles will be able to accomplish is beginning to be challenged, and that two paths in the development of autonomous vehicles are being followed: one involving incremental growth toward full automation and the other an attempt to produce a fully autonomous vehicle directly. The general consensus is to place as little restriction and regulation on the development of autonomous vehicles as possible at the moment so that innovation is inhibited as little as possible. At the same time, the potential benefits of uniformity or standardization among states is recognized but any proposals in this regard are limited to suggestions at the moment. |