Indiana Rep. Proposes Strict Regulations for Autonomous Trucks Amid Industry Opposition

[Nomad]

Indiana Rep. Cindy Ledbetter has proposed a law regulating autonomous tractor-trailers on state highways. The bill insists on having a human driver with a valid commercial license on board, ready to take control if needed. Ledbetter's worries include technical glitches and the impact on truck driving jobs. The legislation has bipartisan support and a matching bill in the state Senate. However, the Autonomous Vehicle Industry opposes it, claiming it practically outlaws autonomous vehicles, hindering safety improvements. The industry advocates for regulations instead of a ban to guide the safe use of driverless trucks.

Read more about this proposed law here.

 

[Winny]

When it comes to any type of vehicle or machinery that is said to be "autonomous", then yes a person should be behind the wheel in case of emergency. We've seen in the past that autonomous cars, for example, have hit pedestrians and obstacles, so it's not 100% safe.

I don't think it outlaws autonomous vehicles, because they'll still be allowed to use them, just that they will need a human driver in them. Which should happen anyway. No autonomous vehicle should be driven solely by AI and only it. These autonomous vehicles make mistakes, they're not perfect by any means.

 

[Jake]

Wasn't there lawsuits not too long ago where a company was sued because one of their self-driving cars hit a pedestrian? I'm pretty sure Tesla was sued for something.

I don't think these cars should be driven by themselves, I don't trust it. There should always be a person behind the wheel, because who's to say that car won't mistakenly crash into someone else?

 

[Shortie]

I have never been keen on self-driving vehicles and feel these regulations are not only needed but also necessary and it is a shame more places are not doing this.

Self-driving vehicles we know are prone to have an issue at some point and therefore having someone there to take control to prevent that from happening should be standard no matter where.