Screens in a Motor Vehicle.  Under current law, a person may not, on a public road, operate a motor vehicle equipped with a television viewer, screen, or other means of visually receiving a television broadcast when the moving images are visible to the driver.  This prohibition does not apply to law enforcement.

Autonomous Vehicle Testing Pilot Program.  In 2017, the Governor issued Executive Order 17-02, which authorized pilot programs for testing autonomous vehicles (AVs).  The executive order authorized testing AVs both with and without a human operator present as part of the pilot program.  To participate in the pilot program, all vehicle owners must attest to proof of financial responsibility, as required under state law for all registered motor vehicles in the state, and developing entities must self-certify to the Department of Licensing (DOL) they are compliant with all applicable requirements before beginning a pilot program.

Department of Licensing Autonomous Vehicle Self-Certification Testing Pilot Program—Effective October 1, 2021.  To test an AV on public roadways, the following information must be provided to DOL by the entity testing the AV:  contact information, the local jurisdiction where testing is planned, VIN number, and proof of an insurance policy.

By February 1st of each year, self-certifying entities testing AVs must submit a report to DOL that includes information from the prior calendar year regarding collisions and moving violations that involve an AV during testing on a public roadway.

The entity testing the AV on a public roadway must provide written notice in advance of testing to every local and state law enforcement agency with jurisdiction over any of the public roadways on which testing will occur in the applicable jurisdictions.

To test an AV under the program, the testing entity must:

• hold an umbrella liability insurance policy that covers the entity in an amount of not less than $5 million per occurrence for damages by reason of bodily injury or death, or property damage caused by the operation of an AV included in the AV self-certification testing pilot program; and
• maintain proof of this policy with DOL in a form and manner specified by DOL.

Autonomous Vehicle Work Group.  A law enacted in 2018 established an AV Work Group convened by the Washington State Transportation Commission (Commission).  The AV Work Group is tasked with developing policy recommendations to address the operation of AVs on public roadways in the state, and includes participation from the Office of the Governor, the Office of the Insurance Commissioner (OIC), DOL, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), the Washington State Patrol (WSP), and the Washington Traffic Safety Commission (WTSC).  The AV Work Group includes four members from the House of Representatives and four members from the Senate.  The Commission has the option of inviting additional participation.

The AV Work Group is responsible for following developments in AV technology, deployment, and policy; exploring changes to state law, rules, and policy; disseminating information on AVs; and engaging the public to inform policy development at the direction of the Legislature.  The Commission is required to develop and update recommendations annually based on the input provided by the AV Work Group, and provide a report to the Governor and the Legislature by November 15th of each year.  The AV Work Group is set to remain active through the end of 2023.

Society of Automotive Engineering International Standards.  The Society of Automotive Engineering International (SAE) is a global association of more than 128,000 engineers and related technical experts in the aerospace, automotive, and commercial-vehicle industries.  SAE has developed international standard J3016 related to automated driving that include levels one to five of driving automation—level zero meaning no automation, to level five meaning full vehicle autonomy.  SAE standard J3016 was adopted by the U.S. Department of Transportation in 2016 for use in its federal automated vehicles policy.

For purposes of the DOL AV self-certification testing pilot program, "autonomous" is defined as a level four or five driving automation system as provided in the SAE standard J3016, as it existed on the effective date of this section, or such subsequent date as may be provided by DOL by rule.

The effective date of the DOL AV self-certification testing pilot program is moved back one year to October 1, 2022.

The prohibition of operating, on a public road, a motor vehicle equipped with a television viewer, screen, or other means of visually receiving a television broadcast when the moving images are visible to the driver, is repealed.