Rep. Adam Neylon (608) 266-5120
February 22, 2017

Madison— Today State Representative Adam Neylon (R-Pewaukee), Chairman of the Assembly Committee on Jobs and the Economy, issued the following statement after holding a Informational Hearing on Autonomous Vehicles in Wisconsin:

“Traffic related deaths continue to increase by significant numbers every year. Over 90% of fatal accidents are the result of human error. Keeping people safe should be our top priority as lawmakers. A way to improve public safety, and grow Wisconsin’s economy, is to embrace autonomous vehicles, or driverless cars.

“The University of Wisconsin-Madison has been selected as one of 10 national testing sites for autonomous vehicles. In partnership with the City of Madison, they will adopt safe zones for research and development (R&D) of this game-changing technology.

“To help ensure Wisconsin becomes a leader in innovations, we must remove the barriers hindering development. We must also adopt smart registration and insurance liability standards. We should also consider establishing a state freeway connected to Madison as a safe zone for R&D at specified times. Whatever we do, public safety must be our top priority.

“For now, I believe we must avoid any additional rules or regulations until after the initial testing phases are complete and we can evaluate the results.”

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