Labor advocates try to put the brakes on unregulated, self-driving Waymo cars
High angle view of an Alphabet's Waymo self-driving car in downtown San Francisco on April 18, 2024. JasonDoiy via Getty Images
Minnesota doesn’t have laws regulating autonomous vehicles, and some lawmakers argue that the state needs to get them in place now to ensure the introduction of self-driving cars doesn’t cause chaos.
This story was originally published by the Minnesota Reformer.
Minnesota labor advocates on Tuesday urged Minnesota lawmakers to refrain from allowing autonomous vehicles to operate in the state until they clarify Minnesota’s laws to ensure that self-driving cars are safe and well-regulated.
Waymo’s self-driving cars are currently operating in Minneapolis, but people are driving them for now. Drivers are using the cars to map the city and gather data about navigating Minneapolis streets, Axios reported.
Minnesota doesn’t have laws regulating autonomous vehicles, and some lawmakers argue that the state needs to get them in place now to ensure the introduction of self-driving cars doesn’t cause chaos.
“We have a lot of factors that need to go into rolling this out in the state of Minnesota, and absent our action, it will just happen pretty much against our will like has happened with so much tech throughout the country,” Sen. Erin Maye Quade, DFL-Apple Valley, said at a Capitol press conference.
Uber famously sidestepped taxi regulations when the company started operating in markets around the country — calling itself a technology platform rather than a ride-hailing company — and then often used their foothold to influence the passage of industry-favorable regulations.
Waymo, a California-based company, is operating in 10 major cities in the U.S., including San Francisco, Austin, Atlanta and Phoenix.
Minnesota labor advocates are concerned that the influx of Waymo cars will displace ride-hail drivers, who have become an influential interest group at the Capitol in recent years.
Widespread use of Waymo self-driving cars by Uber and Lyft could destroy the livelihoods of thousands of Minnesotans, who have flocked to driving for its decent pay and flexible hours.
On Wednesday, the House Transportation Committee will hear a bipartisan bill regulating self-driving cars. Labor advocates say the legislation would give companies free reign to operate in the state.
“We support thoughtful innovation, but innovation must come with rigorous testing, transparent reporting, enforceable safety standards and clear protocols for first responders,” said Hannah Alstead, Teamsters Joint Council 32’s political director.
Waymo cites data showing that self-driving cars are safer than human drivers.
A company research paper that was peer-reviewed and published in a journal found that there were 91% fewer serious crashes compared to human drivers.
“Almost 400 people were killed on Minnesota’s roads last year, with thousands more injured – often in life-altering ways. Waymo’s technology … is another solution to this pervasive road safety problem,” a Waymo spokesperson said in a statement.
Waymo has hired four Minnesota lobbyists to advocate for it at the Minnesota Capitol, according to the Campaign Finance Board.
The bill lawmakers will debate Wednesday (HF 3513) creates a regulatory structure that grants the commissioner of the Department of Transportation the authority to greenlight autonomous vehicle companies for operation here. The commissioner could also suspend or revoke that authorization.
The bill also would clarify that law enforcement can issue citations to autonomous vehicles if they break the state’s traffic laws.
Labor advocates and some Democratic lawmakers are calling for the prohibition of self-driving cars in Minnesota until an advisory board completes a study and a permit process is created for autonomous vehicle companies.
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