Maps Show How SB 915 Would Slam the Brakes on Autonomous Vehicles in California

The Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association released a statement from Jeff Farrah, CEO for the Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association, raising the significant concerns with California SB 915 and demonstration how the bill would negatively impact at least 44% of California’s residents:

“SB 915 would slam the brakes on autonomous vehicles in California, bringing new mobility opportunities to a halt for 44% of Californians. The legislation remains equivalent to requiring a different driver’s license for different cities – at least 15 of the largest cities plus 86 additional municipalities. If a city passes a local ordinance that harms AV deployment, that prevents access to all other Californians in the area," said Farrah.

“We urge lawmakers to reject this backdoor ban on AVs. Over 70 disability, business, and other local organizations as well as state lawmakers have raised significant concerns about SB 915’s ability to create a patchwork of regulations, preventing Californians from seeing the technology’s safety and accessibility benefits.”

The Californians most excited about AV passenger and delivery services – people with disabilities, those in food and transit deserts, senior citizens, and small businesses, farmers, and manufacturers needing to move goods – may not see the technology’s benefits if their local government creates an ordinance that harms AV deployment. 

A patchwork of local ordinances will prevent AVs from traveling city-to-city. Even if a city authorizes operations, other neighboring cities may create burdensome regulations, which blocks accessibility options for all Californians. Below are several maps of the cities eligible to pass their own AV ordinances, showing how the legislation will prevent city-to-city travel and impact huge numbers of California residents. In some instances, the legislation may be so burdensome that AVs cannot even operate there.

Cities in red have populations of +250,000 and would be authorized to pass their own AV regulations. Municipalities in yellow are cities contiguous to the red cities that are also authorized to pass their own AV regulations.

How SB 915 hurts AV accessibility for Los Angeles residents

How SB 915 hurts AV accessibility for San Francisco and East Bay residents

How SB 915 hurts AV accessibility for San Jose residents