This Act prohibits any autonomous vehicle with a gross weight of 10,001 pounds or more from being operated on a Delaware highway for testing purposes, transporting goods, or transporting passengers without a human safety operator being physically present within the autonomous vehicle. A two-thirds vote requirement is required under Section 28 of Article IV of the Delaware Constitution.
This Act is a substitute for and differs from Senate Bill No. 258 in the following ways:
1. The substitute requires a human safety operator to hold a commercial driver license that is valid for the vehicle being driven.
2. The substitute clarifies that the person subject to the fines of this Act is presumed to be the vehicle’s registered owner.
3. The substitute directs to the Department of Transportation to submit a report evaluating the performance of autonomous vehicle technology to the General Assembly and the Governor by January 1, 2029.

Statutes affected:
Original Text: 21.101
SS 1 Original Text: 21.101