Researchers at the Harvard Kennedy School's Taubman Center for State and Local Government outline potential policy issues that will arise as autonomous vehicles become more popular. The authors recommend five policies cities can implement to get out in front of autonomous vehicle deployments to ensure that autonomous vehicles can support community goals.

Over the last three years, the Autonomous Vehicle Policy Initiative (AVPI) has been helping cities and states in the United States and abroad prepare for the policy issues they’ll face as AVs enter the urban environment. City and state officials are both excited and nervous about the advent of AVs. They believe this technology can have a positive impact in helping them address some of the challenges present in their transportation systems, but they also recall the tumultuous arrival TNCs had, and do not want to face such an unplanned disruption again. This document is designed to be a resource for policymakers as they work to craft and implement policy in the fast moving field of AVs.

Key findings

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"City and state officials are both excited and nervous about the advent of AVs. They believe this technology can have a positive impact in helping them address some of the challenges present in their transportation systems, but they also recall the tumultuous arrival TNCs had, and do not want to face such an unplanned disruption again."

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The authors' five policy recommendations are to: