(a) For purposes of this division, the following definitions apply: (1) âAutonomous technologyâ means technology that has the capability to drive a vehicle without the active physical control or monitoring by a human operator. (2) (A) âAutonomous vehicleâ means any vehicle equipped with autonomous technology that has been integrated into that vehicle that meets the definition of Level 3, Level 4, or Level 5 of SAE Internationalâs âTaxonomy and Definitions for Terms Related to Driving Automation Systems for On-Road Motor Vehicles, standard J3016 (APR2021),â as may be revised. (B) An autonomous vehicle does not include a vehicle that is equipped with one or more collision avoidance systems, including, but not limited to, electronic blind spot assistance, automated emergency braking systems, park assist, adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, lane departure warning, traffic jam and queuing assist, or other similar systems that enhance safety or provide driver assistance, but are not capable, collectively or singularly, of driving the vehicle without the active control or monitoring of a human operator. (3) âDepartmentâ means the Department of Motor Vehicles. (4) An âoperatorâ of an autonomous vehicle is the person who is seated in the driverâs seat, or, if there is no person in the driverâs seat, causes the autonomous technology to engage. (5) A âmanufacturerâ of autonomous technology is the person, as defined in Section 470, that originally manufactures a vehicle and equips autonomous technology on the originally completed vehicle or, in the case of a vehicle not originally equipped with autonomous technology by the vehicle manufacturer, the person that modifies the vehicle by installing autonomous technology to convert it to an autonomous vehicle after the vehicle was originally manufactured. (b) An autonomous vehicle may be operated on public roads for testing purposes by a driver who possesses the proper class of license for the type of vehicle being operated if all of the following requirements are met: (1) The autonomous vehicle is being operated on roads in this state solely by employees, contractors, or other persons designated by the manufacturer of the autonomous technology. (2) The driver shall be seated in the driverâs seat, monitoring the safe operation of the autonomous vehicle, and capable of taking over immediate manual control of the autonomous vehicle in the event of an autonomous technology failure or other emergency. (3) Prior to the start of testing in this state, the manufacturer performing the testing shall obtain an instrument of insurance, surety bond, or proof of self-insurance in the amount of five million dollars ($5,000,000), and shall provide evidence of the insurance, surety bond, or self-insurance to the department in the form and manner required by the department pursuant to the regulations adopted pursuant to subdivision (d). (c) Except as provided in subdivision (b), an autonomous vehicle shall not be operated on public roads until the manufacturer submits an application to the department, and that application is approved by the department pursuant to the regulations adopted pursuant to subdivision (d). The application shall contain, at a minimum, all of the following certifications: (1) A certification by the manufacturer that the autonomous technology satisfies all of the following requirements: (A) The autonomous vehicle has a mechanism to engage and disengage the autonomous technology that is easily accessible to the operator. (B) The autonomous vehicle has a visual indicator inside the cabin to indicate when the autonomous technology is engaged. (C) The autonomous vehicle has a system to safely alert the operator if an autonomous technology failure is detected while the autonomous technology is engaged, and when an alert is given, the system shall do either of the following: (i) Require the operator to take control of the autonomous vehicle. (ii) If the o
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