In 2013, Michigan legislators adopted the state’s first laws for driverless vehicles, allowing them to share the road with live motorists only while being tested.
That legislation helped Michigan become an early leader in the race to build a self-driving car, said Mike Kowall, a state senator from Oakland County who sponsored the bills.
But for Michigan to win — especially against the tech giants of Silicon Valley, which are developing their own prototypes — he believes the state also needs to lead by regulation, before a patchwork of rules crops up across state lines.
Kowall, R-White Lake Township, plans to introduce a bill package in the Senate that he said would allow autonomous vehicles on Michigan roads for any reason, not just during testing.