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Michigan Governor, Rick Snyder, Will Sign Autonomous Vehicle Bills Into Law

Michigan, with historic beginnings surrounding the automobile, is looking to cement its future as an autonomous driving threshold.

According to The Detroit News, Governor Rick Snyder will sign autonomous vehicle bills into law, after they flowed through the house and senate with near unanimous support.

“I’m looking forward to that cause that helps establish this, but also sets a framework to do more testing in Michigan,” Snyder told media during the groundbreaking ceremony for the American Center for Mobility. The center will house autonomous vehicle testing at the Willow Run site and open this time next year.

Snyder also stated he would sign the bills “relatively soon”, which could be as early as next week. The three-bill package will give the public full ability to purchase, and use, fully driverless vehicles whenever they become available. The new laws would also allow ride-sharing services to operate unmanned fleets on public roads.

However, despite support from major automakers and lawmakers in the state, politicians will keep an eye on the changing situations and update rules as the technology continues to grow and change.

“We’re not going to take our eye off that ball,” said Senator Ken Horn, R-Frankenmuth. “As technologies change … we want to be able to move at the speed of business at this point, when it comes to these. We’re going to follow up with other bills for the social ramifications of autonomous vehicles.”

Most of these ramifications surround accidents and liabilities and how restrictions will be introduced regarding blood-alcohol levels while inside an autonomous vehicle.

However, most see this is a positive step forward for Michigan and its struggling economy, especially regarding the American Center for Mobility.

“I think this is going to help Michigan a lot,” Senate Majority Floor Leader Mike Kowall, R-White Lake said. “We have companies already from all of the world that are interested in creating a presence here. We’re going to see activity on this site that we haven’t seen in years.”

Former GM Authority staff writer.

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