A group of public safety advocates urged New Mexico lawmakers to implement stricter requirements for companies that plan to test autonomous trucks on state roads.
The interim Transportation Infrastructure Revenue Subcommittee was held on Friday, October 23rd.
According to Source New Mexico, one of the men to take the stand was Daniel Cook, a business agent with the Teamsters Local 492 in Albuquerque. He told the committee that he spent years driving commercial vehicles in Alaska with autonomous technology intended to keep the driver safe, but highlighted its faults. Cook says the trucks would “read a speed limit sign and it would slam on the brakes,” or make other mistakes like incorrectly identify a median as a stationary object and stop the truck unsafely.
“These systems do affect the way we drive currently and they are not ready to go at this point,” Cook said.
Currently, New Mexico only requires companies to notify the state five days in advance if they wish to test the autonomous trucks. The vehicle must be in compliance with all other state traffic laws, but no other requirements or barriers exist.
There are six states that have implemented self-driving vehicle regulations that require companies to obtain permits and gain state authorization before taking the self-driving vehicles out on public roads. These states include Hawaii, California, Nevada, Arizona, Texas, and Arkansas.
“I didn’t realize our laws are so lacking,” said Rep. Joy Garratt in response to the presentation.
“There is a need over time for this, but the idea of us being the guinea pigs is not something I’m looking forward to,” Rep. Rod Montoya said. “There is a real risk here. We need to put some guardrails.”
