“There was no way we could pass a law and promulgate regulations, because by the time we could get regulations through the process for approval, the technology would have far outstripped whatever we had written, because it is changing so rapidly,” said Kurt Myers, deputy secretary for Driver and Vehicle Services at PennDOT. “It is literally changing on a monthly basis. … So the determination was made … that we really need to address this through policy.”

That’s why PennDOT has formed the Autonoumous Vehicle Testing Policy Task Force, of which Mr. Myers is a co-chair, to analyze and create policies and guidelines to adequately balance safety with progress. The Task Force combines several stakeholders, including members of local government, representatives of CMU and Uber, members of the insurance industry, state police and even AAA, to aid PennDOT in this goal.