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SB148 • 2026

AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES

An Act regulating autonomous vehicles; and providing for an effective date.

Technology
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
SENATORS MYERS, Gray-Jackson
Last action
2026-04-21
Official status
(S) TRA
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill text specifies an immediate effective date under AS 01.10.070(c), resolving the uncertainty in the candidate explanation.

Alaska Rules for Self-Driving Vehicles

This law sets rules for self-driving cars in Alaska, requiring them to meet federal standards and limiting their commercial use unless a human safety operator is present.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires all registered autonomous vehicles to follow federal motor vehicle safety rules.
  • Bans using these vehicles to move goods or passengers for business unless the trip is personal or a human safety operator sits in the car.
  • Allows commercial use only if a human safety operator can monitor and take control of the vehicle at any time.
  • States that humans driving self-driving cars are presumed responsible for accidents unless clear evidence shows software, hardware, or modifications caused the crash.
  • Defines specific terms like 'autonomous technology' to separate full self-driving systems from basic driver aids.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Owners and operators of autonomous vehicles registered in Alaska
  • Companies that modify, program, or manufacture these vehicles
  • Human safety operators who sit inside the vehicle during operation

Terms To Know

Autonomous Vehicle
A car with technology capable of driving without a human physically controlling it.
Human Safety Operator
The person sitting in the vehicle who can monitor and take over control if needed.
Dynamic Driving Task
All real-time actions required to drive a car safely, such as steering and braking.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The law takes effect immediately upon passage.
  • It is unclear how authorities will verify if software or hardware caused an accident in court cases beyond the 'clear and convincing evidence' standard.
  • The text defines levels of automation but does not list specific vehicle models that qualify.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-21 Text

    (S) Heard & Held

  2. 2026-04-21 Text

    (S) TRANSPORTATION at 01:30 PM BUTROVICH 205

  3. 2025-04-04 704

    (S) COSPONSOR(S): GRAY-JACKSON

  4. 2025-03-28 638

    (S) REFERRED TO TRANSPORTATION

  5. 2025-03-28 638

    (S) TRA, STA

  6. 2025-03-28 638

    (S) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS

Official Summary Text

AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES
An Act regulating autonomous vehicles; and providing for an effective date.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
SB0148A -1- SB 148
New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]

34-LS0686\I

SENATE BILL NO. 148

IN THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA

THIRTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE - FIRST SESSION

BY SENATORS MYERS, Gray-Jackson

Introduced: 3/28/25
Referred: Transportation, State Affairs

A BILL

FOR AN ACT ENTITLED

"An Act regulating autonomous vehicles; and providing for an effective date." 1
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 2
* Section 1. AS 28.90 is amended by adding a new section to article 1 to read: 3
Sec. 28.90.050. Autonomous vehicles. (a) An autonomous vehicle registered 4
in this state must meet federal standards and regulations for a motor vehicle operated 5
on a public highway. 6
(b) An autonomous vehicle registered in this state may not be engaged in the 7
transport of interstate commerce, goods, or passengers unless 8
(1) the transport is for personal, noncommercial use; or 9
(2) a human safety operator is physically present in the vehic le and has 10
the ability to monitor and intervene in the vehicle's performan ce, including operating 11
or shutting off the vehicle. 12
(c) A human safety operator must meet federal and state requir ements for 13
operating autonomous and nonautonomous vehicles. 14
(d) In the event of a motor vehicle accident involving an auto nomous vehicle, 15
34-LS0686\I
SB 148 -2- SB0148A
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the human safety operator of the autonomous vehicle is presumed liable for injury or 1
damage caused by the operation of the vehicle unless there is c lear and convincing 2
evidence that the vehicle's software or hardware or a modificat ion to the vehicle 3
caused the accident to occur. Damages relating to liability shall be first recovered from 4
the human safety operator, then to the modifier of the vehicle, followed by the 5
programmer of the vehicle's software, and then the manufacturer. 6
(e) In this section, 7
(1) "autonomous technology" does not include collision avoidan ce 8
systems, electric blind spot assistance, automated emergency br aking systems, park 9
assist, adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist or lane depar ture warning systems, 10
traffic jam and queuing assist, or other systems that enhance s afety or provide driver 11
assistance that are not capable, singularly or collectively, of d r i v i n g t h e v e h i c l e 12
without the active control or monitoring of a human safety operator; 13
(2) "autonomous vehicle" means a vehicle equipped with autonom ous 14
technology that has the capability to drive a vehicle without a ctive physical control or 15
monitoring by a human safety operator that has been integrated into that vehicle and is 16
considered to have conditional dr iving automation, high driving automation, or full 17
driving automation; 18
(3) "conditional driving automation" means the sustained and 19
operational design domain-specific performance by an automated driving system of 20
the entire dynamic driving task with the expectation that the d ynamic driving task 21
fallback human safety operator is receptive to an automated dri ving system-issued 22
request to intervene, as well as to dynamic driving task perfor mance-relevant system 23
failures in other vehicle systems, and will respond appropriately; 24
(4) "dynamic driving task" includes all real-time operational and 25
tactical functions required to operate a vehicle in traffic, bu t does not include trip 26
scheduling, the selection of destinations and waypoints, and other strategic functions; 27
(5) "dynamic driving task fallback" means the response by the human 28
safety operator to perform the d ynamic driving task or achieve a stable, stopped 29
condition in order to reduce the risk of a crash after a dynami c driving task system 30
failure, an operational design domain exit, or a response by th e automated driving 31
34-LS0686\I
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system; 1
(6) "full driving automation" means the sustained and uncondit ional 2
performance by an automated driving sy stem of the entire dy namic driving task and 3
dynamic driving task fallback without any expectation that a fa llback human safety 4
operator will need to intervene; 5
(7) "high driving automation" means the sustained and operatio nal 6
design domain-specifi c performance by an automated driving syst em of the entire 7
dynamic driving task and dynamic driving task fallback without any expectation that a 8
fallback human safety operator will need to intervene; 9
(8) "operational design domain" includes the environmental, 10
geographical, and time-of-day restrictions, presence or absence of roadway or traffic 11
characteristics, and other operating conditions under which a given driving automation 12
system or feature is specifically designed to function. 13
* Sec. 2. This Act takes effect immediately under AS 01.10.070(c). 14