Arizona is locked in a battle with neighboring California to attract business to the state by allowing autonomous car testing. Autonomous cars could revolutionize travel and delivery, and Arizona is determined to be at the forefront of the changes. The issue is a sensitive one, after an Uber autonomous car hit and killed a pedestrian in Tempe. Where do things currently stand with autonomous car testing in Phoenix and around the state? Here is what you need to know.
Executive Order
On March 2, 2018, Governor Doug Ducey issued an executive order stating the driverless cars, without any safety driver inside the car, could be operated legally on roads across the state. The order states that the cars must follow the same traffic rules as other cars. By issuing this order, Ducey emphasized to business owners that Arizona was forward-thinking in terms of driverless technology in an effort to attract corporations to the state. Even before the order, more than 600 driverless cars were being tested on Arizona’s public roads, including in Chandler, Phoenix, Tempe, and Scottsdale. Arizona is competing for driverless car testing business with California, where companies must obtain a permit and provide annual reports on software failures. Arizona allows businesses to operate autonomous cars without any public disclosures.
Uber Incident
An autonomous Uber car in Tempe killed a pedestrian on March 18, 2018, and the state suspended Uber’s right to test cars in Arizona on March 26. Subsequently, reports that Uber had a series of problems with their autonomous driving technology came to light. Uber has since announced that they will focus all of their testing on their cars in Pittsburgh and step away from working in Arizona.
Phoenix-Based Testing
Autonomous cars are still on the road in Phoenix. Google is testing cars in Phoenix, as is Waymo, who is giving passengers in the city rides in their driverless cars. The Waymo Early Rider program lets residents order an autonomous car through their app, though each car also has a safety driver inside as backup.
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