TEAMSTERS APPLAUD INTRODUCTION OF AV DATA TRANSPARENCY BILL AB 3061

Third Bill in CARS Legislative Package is Critical to Keeping California Streets Safe

SACRAMENTO, Calif., March 12, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Teamsters commend Assemblymember Matt Haney (AD-17) for introducing Assembly Bill 3061 (AB 3061), legislation requiring Autonomous Vehicle (AV) companies in California publicly report any vehicle collisions, traffic violations, disengagements, assaults, or harassment involving their vehicles to the Dept. of Motor Vehicles (DMV).

"AB 3061 isn't just about holding AV companies to account, it's about holding our regulators to account, cutting out the politics and putting public safety first. We can't keep letting bureaucrats cater to their friends in Big Tech and then look the other way when robotaxis hit people or cause mayhem on our streets," said Peter Finn, Teamsters Western Region International Vice President and President of Teamsters Joint Council 7. "AV data transparency is a clear solution and critical to holding AV companies to a uniform standard. It's time California passes AB 3061 into law."

AB 3061 is the third plank of the CARS package that the Teamsters are advocating for in Sacramento, alongside Senate Bill 915, which would require autonomous vehicle (AV) companies to secure local approvals prior to starting operations, and Assembly Bill 2286, which would require a trained human operator behind the wheel of self-driving trucks weighing more than 10,000 pounds. In addition to the reporting requirements for AV operators, under AB 3061, the DMV would have to publish incident reports on its website within 30 days of receipt. Operators already have to report some of the incidents AB 3061 outlines to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; AB 3061 requires the DMV to create a timeline for submissions that must be equal to or shorter than the deadlines required by the federal agency.

"AB 3061 is common sense legislation that will ensure the public has insight into all AV-related incidents. Californians are seeing firsthand the chaos AV causes on a daily basis, and they deserve full transparency," said Chris Griswold, Teamsters International Vice President At-Large and President of Teamsters Joint Council 42. "This bill should be easy for AV companies to comply with because it's just an expansion of information that they're already reporting. The Teamsters commend Assemblymember Haney for introducing this bill and call on all elected leaders to join him in supporting AB 3061."

Despite robotaxis running over pedestrians, blocking first responders from doing their jobs and causing traffic pileups, state agencies have refused to implement significant AV safety measures. Earlier this month, just weeks after Waymo announced a recall of its robotaxi software in response to two of its robotaxis crashing into the same truck minutes apart in December 2023, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) approved the expansion of Waymo robotaxis in Los Angeles and San Francisco. 

"The Teamsters applaud Assemblymember Haney for introducing legislation that will help keep California roads safe," said Lindsay Dougherty, Teamsters Western Region International Vice President and Director of the Teamsters Motion Picture and Theatrical Trade Division. "Over the last year, two of the largest AV companies, Cruise and Waymo, have had to recall their software in California due to safety incidents. This technology is not ready for prime time, and we cannot trust AV companies to be honest about the safety or capability of their products when they're racing towards profitability and fighting to appease shareholders. We need accountability, and that starts with AB 3061."

Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.3 million hardworking people in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. Visit Teamster.org for more information. Follow us on Twitter @Teamsters and "like" us on Facebook at Facebook.com/teamsters.

Contact:
Matt McQuaid, (202) 624-6877
[email protected] 

SOURCE International Brotherhood of Teamsters