VIDEO: With more autonomous vehicles, or AVs, driving around Austin, first responders want to make sure the cars arenโt making more problems on the road. But because of a state law preventing local government from regulating AV companies, their hands are tied. โFrankly, this is the wild west when it comes to autonomous vehicles,โ said Cpt. Matt McElearney with the Austin Fire Department.
โThere is a lot of leeway that they have, and enforcement is very limited on our end.โ Back in 2017, several autonomous vehicle companies started testing in Austin. That same year, Texas lawmakers passed Senate Bill 2205, restricting local entities from regulating AVs, leaving it to the state to decide the rules.
A few years later in 2023, AV company Cruise, from General Motors, soft launched in Austin. But after several safety issues across the country, Cruise stopped all operations, including here in Austin. Thatโs around the same time the city started tracking autonomous vehicle incidents and created an AV Safety Working Group, comprised of first responders and city leaders.
