Existing law regulates trade practices and other commercial activities in this State. (Title 52 of NRS) Section 6 of this bill authorizes a city, county, regional transportation commission, the Department of Transportation or any other public authority to transmit a written or electronic notification to a navigation provider concerning a current or anticipated road condition, such as a road closure, road hazard, lane closure, construction project, accident or other road condition impacting a highway under the jurisdiction of the entity providing the notification. Section 6 requires a navigation provider who receives such a notification to incorporate the road condition information contained within the notification into the real-time data concerning traffic and road closures that is used by the navigation provider to provide turn-by-turn directions to end users of its navigation application within 48 hours after receiving the notification, with certain exceptions. If a navigation provider fails to incorporate the road condition information into the real-time data concerning traffic and road closures used to provide turn-by-turn directions to end users within the time prescribed, section 6 provides for a civil penalty of $500 to be imposed against the navigation provider for each day that the navigation provider fails to incorporate the road condition information until: (1) the provider incorporates the road condition information; or (2) the road condition ceases to exist or is otherwise resolved. Additionally, section 6 authorizes a city, county, regional transportation commission, the Department or any other public authority, as a part of the notification sent to a navigation provider, to recommend a specific route which would direct traffic around the specific road condition. A navigation provider is not required to incorporate the recommended route into the data used to provide turn-by-turn directions to end users. Section 6 defines a “navigation provider” as a person who operates a navigation application and defines a “navigation application” as an Internet website, online service or mobile application which: (1) offers turn-by-turn directions in real time to an end user; and (2) incorporates real-time data concerning traffic and road closures into the direction and navigation services provided to the end user. Section 6 excludes from the definition of “navigation application” a service which: (1) has less than 10,000,000 active users per month; (2) does not offer direction and navigation services for end users with respect to the highways in this State; or (3) does not incorporate real-time data concerning traffic and road closures into the direction and navigation services provided to an end user with respect to the highways in this State. Existing law creates the Department of Transportation and tasks the Director of the Department with the general supervision of the construction, reconstruction, improvement, maintenance and repair of all highways, facilities and services authorized by the provisions governing highways, roads and transportation facilities. (NRS 408.106, 408.195) The Director is also required to collect and compile statistics and maps relating to the mileage, traffic, character and condition of the highways. (NRS 408.190) Section 1 of this bill requires the Department to create and maintain an electronic system which allows a qualified representative of a city, county or regional transportation commission to submit to the Department information relating to road conditions impacting certain highways under the jurisdiction of the reporting entity for upload onto an Internet website or mobile application maintained by the Department to communicate road conditions to the public, including Nevada 511, if such a website or application is maintained by the Department. Sections 2 and 4 of this bill require the Department to adopt regulations and use funds in the Account for Systems of Providing Information to the Traveling Public in the State Highway Fund, as necessary, to carry out the provisions of section 1. Section 3 of this bill adds the provisions of section 1 to the provisions of law which the Department, in cooperation with the Commission on Tourism, is required to develop a plan to carry out. Existing law creates the Advisory Committee on Traffic Safety within the Department. The Advisory Committee consists of voting members and certain nonvoting members who may be appointed by the Director of the Department. (NRS 408.581) Section 5 of this bill requires the Director of the Department to appoint to the Advisory Committee two nonvoting members who represent navigation providers.

Statutes affected:
As Introduced: 408.557, 408.559, 408.567, 408.581
BDR: 408.557, 408.559, 408.567, 408.581