Overly Comments on States’ Approval of Testing for Autonomous Vehicles

Partner Mike Overly was quoted in a Law360 article, “Calif., Other States Fill Self-Driving Car Regulatory Gaps,” about California becoming the latest state to allow autonomous cars to be tested on public roads without a human driver behind the wheel.

Overly said he is certain there ultimately will be some structured approach at the federal level to ensure states and industry stakeholders aren’t trampling on each other’s toes. “We may see some pushing and shoving and we may see some arguments,” he said. “It’s very hard to design these cars in the first place. To be able to design them to adhere to the laws of 50 states is even more difficult.”

He also said lobbyists are pressing the need for clearer guidance. “For automakers, they can’t make a car that drives perfectly fine in Florida, but can’t be driven in Mississippi. That’s not a workable solution,” he said.