SALEM, Ore. (AP) - Lawmakers effectively withdrew a proposal to allow autonomous vehicles on Oregon roads.
The House Transportation Policy committee voted 8-0 Wednesday to substitute an amendment that replaced proposed rules for the vehicles with a study group. That group would report to the Legislature in the fall.
Legislators questioned the safety of fully autonomous technology on roads.
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“I do not believe that creating a hostage environment inside a vehicle moving 60 miles an hour is something any of us really want to get to in the long term,” said state Rep. Paul Evans, a Democrat from Monmouth.
Other lawmakers had previously questioned whether the technology could be hacked.
According to the Oregon Department of Transportation, automated vehicles currently fall into a grey area in state law, neither explicitly permitted nor prohibited.
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