Two New Jersey lawmakers recently introduced a bill that would require owners of autonomous vehicles to maintain insurance coverage.
New Jersey Assemblywoman Pamela Lampitt and Assemblyman Arthur Barclay, both Democrats, introduced bill No. 4504 on Jan. 19.
“Current law provides, with certain limited exceptions, that every owner or registered owner of a motor vehicle registered or principally garaged in this state shall maintain motor vehicle liability insurance coverage,” the bill says. “This bill clarifies that this mandate includes self-driving motor vehicles that are capable of operating without active control or monitoring by a human operator.”
New Jersey Sen. Nia Gill, also a Democrat, introduced a Senate version of the bill, S2895, on Jan. 19.
If the bills become law, New Jersey would become the third state to require owners of self-driving cars to have insurance coverage, according to an article in the New Jersey Law Journal. Nevada and Florida already have laws on the books.
