Conference Addresses Challenges in AV Deployment

On April 15, 2016, the University of Michigan Law School hosted Autonomous Vehicles: Legal and Regulatory Hurdles to Deployment.  Representatives from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), automakers, insurers, and academia discussed the legal challenges autonomous technology development present.  Topics discussed included:

• State regulation.  Several panelists stressed the need to avoid a “patchwork” of state regulations on autonomous vehicles.  Automakers consistently reiterated that the federal government should regulate this area.
• Financing.  It remains unclear who will pay for the infrastructure needed to support autonomous technology – federal and state government,  private companies, or a combination of both.  Sources of financing may include tolls, licensing fees, and the monetization of data.
• Data collection and security.  Panelists stressed that diligent monitoring is needed to combat external threats.  Companies should constantly re-examine their internal security practices, including encryption and security configuration.  In addition, legal departments should track data collection laws.  Requirements vary not only state to state, but can differ greatly among countries, as the European Union and Canada have enacted more stringent data collection laws than the U.S.
• Ridesharing. The popularity of services such as Uber, Lyft, and DiDi Kuaidi suggest that many consumers may utilize autonomous vehicles through ridesharing.