19 juin 19
Fil d'Actus

AV drives without drivers in Florida

Starting next month, Florida will allow AVs to operate without a human driver on public roads. The new laws will increase Florida’s position as leader for AV testing. 

The law signed by governor Ron DeSantis (R), set out a larger framework for insurance and safety rules for AVs to facilitate more AV testing in the state. Besides making it legal to ride an AV without a driver – which in most countries in the world is still prohibited, complicating the full AV adoption – the law will also exempt AV passengers from distracted driving rules that bar texting and phone use. The timing of the new AV law coincides with the completion of the AV test track in the SunTrax facility. 

All these rules together are meant to strengthen Florida’s position in the AV testing market, besides other AV-minded states such as Arizona, California, Utah and Pennsylvania.

Authored by: Fien Van den steen