(a) Notwithstanding Section 38750, the Contra Costa Transportation Authority is authorized to conduct a pilot project for the testing of autonomous vehicles that do not have a driver seated in the driverâs seat and are not equipped with a steering wheel, a brake pedal, or an accelerator provided the following requirements are met: (1) The testing shall be conducted only at a privately owned business park designated by the authority, inclusive of public roads within the designated business park, and at GoMentum Station located within the boundaries of the former Concord Naval Weapons Station. (2) The autonomous vehicle shall operate at speeds of less than 35 miles per hour. (b) A change in ownership of the property comprising the GoMentum Station shall not affect the authorization to conduct testing pursuant to this section. (c) Prior to the start of the testing of an autonomous vehicle that does not have a driver seated in the driverâs seat on or across a public road, the Contra Costa Transportation Authority or a private entity, or a combination of the two, shall do both of the following: (1) Obtain an instrument of insurance, surety bond, or proof of self-insurance in an amount of five million dollars ($5,000,000), and shall provide evidence of the insurance, surety bond, or proof of self-insurance to the Department of Motor Vehicles in the form and manner required by the department. (2) Submit a detailed description of the testing program to the department. The detailed description shall include all of the following: (A) Certification that, prior to testing on public roads, the autonomous vehicle has been tested under controlled conditions that simulate, as closely as practicable, the real world conditions that the autonomous vehicle will be subject to during this pilot project, and that the Contra Costa Transportation Authority or a private entity, or a combination of the two, has made a reasonable determination that it is safe to operate the autonomous vehicle on public roads under these conditions. (B) Evidence satisfactory to the department that the City of San Ramon and any other local authorities with jurisdiction over the public roads in the designated privately owned business park approve of the geographic area and environmental, traffic, and speed conditions authorized for purposes of this pilot project. (C) Certification that the autonomous vehicle can only operate in autonomous mode in the geographic area and environmental, traffic, and speed conditions authorized in this specific pilot project. (D) Certification that this pilot project complies, or will comply, with National Highway Traffic Safety Administration guidance, if any, on the safe testing, deployment, and operation of autonomous vehicles. (E) Certification that the autonomous vehicle used in the pilot project complies with all applicable federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, or written evidence that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration either considers the absence of a steering wheel, a brake pedal, or an accelerator permissible under federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards or has granted the autonomous vehicle an exemption from compliance with the relevant federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. (F) Identify to the department the autonomous vehicles that are to be tested on public roads during this pilot project. For each vehicle, the manufacturer shall provide to the department the make, model, and model year of the vehicle, the full vehicle identification number, and the license plate number and the state of issuance. (G) Certification that the vehicle is equipped with a communication link between the vehicle and a remote operator to provide information on the vehicleâs location and status and to allow two-way communication between the remote operator and any passengers if the vehicle experiences any failures that would endanger the safety of the vehicleâs passengers or other road users while operating without a driver. (H) C
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