On Monday, California Sen. Dave Cortese withdrew from consideration SB 915, autonomous vehicle (AV) legislation that would have allowed local municipalities to restrict and tax AV deployment. During Senate consideration, the bill had faced vocal opposition in the Committee on Transportation and in the Committee on Local Government. 

“It’s good to see California lawmakers going back to the drawing board on autonomous vehicle policy,” said Chamber of Progress Director of Civic Innovation Policy Ruth Whittaker. “Autonomous vehicles have the power to save thousands of lives in California by eliminating drunk, distracted, and unsafe human driving. Over the past month, we’ve heard leaders from across the state raise concerns that this bill could derail progress on California’s roads.”

Earlier this year, Chamber of Progress released new research showing that if California allowed the statewide deployment of autonomous vehicles, AVs could prevent over 1,300 traffic fatalities in a three-year period.

In another recent study on job growth and AVs, Chamber of Progress found that California could be a leader in job creation in the AV industry given the right regulatory framework. By 2040, the AV industry is projected to create over 110,000 jobs.

For more on how SB 915 threatened to quash AV deployment in California, visit NoTo915.com.

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Chamber of Progress (progresschamber.org) is a center-left tech industry policy coalition promoting technology’s progressive future.  We work to ensure that all Americans benefit from technological leaps, and that the tech industry operates responsibly and fairly.  

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