Page 12 - midJersey Business - January 2015

News Desk

STATES THAT PERMIT
The Open Road
AUTONOMOUS
VEHICLE TESTING

AND OPERATION
Bill to make N.J. a hub for driverless

vehicles advances to full Senate
T

N
he state Senate Budget and Appropria- econgested,” Kean says. “This legislation sends
tions Committee has unanimously va strong message to innovators, entrepreneurs,
a
passed legislation sponsored by Senate and job creators that New Jersey is not afraid to
Republican Leader Tom Kean to make dcreate waves of the future, and that New Jersey is
a
New Jersey a hub for the develop-

the perfect home for them to develop and grow.”
ment, testing, and implementation of driverless Kean notes that about 90 percent of traic

vehicles. In June 2013, Kean introduced Senate crashes are caused by human error, and the
bill 734 to make New Jersey the third state to implementation of driverless vehicles promises

permit the testing and operation of to drastically decrease traic-related
autonomous vehicles.
deaths and injuries. He adds that

“The people of New Jersey, autonomous vehicles also can
our workforce, and economy ofer a more suicient and

have a lot to gain from being lexible avenue of transpor-
a
at the forefront of such dtation for people with dis-
innovation, and the imple- iabilities and senior citizens
r
mentation of driverless owho may not have access to
vehicles will make our road- lpublic transit or who may
F
ways much safer and less
not be it to drive.

10 business.com
midJersey