[First Reprint]
SENATE, No. 4702
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
221st LEGISLATURE
INTRODUCED OCTOBER 20, 2025
Sponsored by:
Senator ANDREW ZWICKER
District 16 (Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex and Somerset)
SYNOPSIS
Establishes autonomous vehicle pilot program.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As reported by the Senate Transportation Committee on November 10, 2025, with amendments.
An Actestablishing an autonomous vehicle pilot program and supplementing Title 39 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. As used in P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill):
"Automated driving system" means a combination of hardware and software systems within a motor vehicle that are collectively capable of performing the entire dynamic driving task on a sustained basis, regardless of whether the dynamic driving task is limited to a specific operational design domain.
"Autonomous vehicle manufacturer" means: a person or entity that builds or sells fully autonomous vehicles; a person or entity that installs automated driving systems in motor vehicles that are not originally built as fully autonomous vehicles; or a person or entity that develops automated driving systems in fully autonomous vehicles or motor vehicles that are not originally built as fully autonomous vehicles.
"Autonomous vehicle tester" means an autonomous vehicle manufacturer, institution of higher education, fleet service provider, or automotive equipment or technology provider that tests the autonomous vehicle's operation and performance across urban, suburban, rural, and highway settings and under varied weather and traffic conditions.
"Chief administrator" means the Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission.
"Closed testbed" means a closed facility with infrastructure simulating real-world traffic control and road conditions for autonomous vehicle testing that is not connected to live transportation systems.
"Commission" means the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission.
"Department" means the Department of Transportation.
"Dynamic driving task" means all real-time operational and tactical functions required to operate a motor vehicle, including, at a minimum, monitoring of the environment, steering, acceleration, braking, and obstacle avoidance.
"Fleet service provider" means a person or entity that owns or leases a fully autonomous vehicle and operates the fully autonomous vehicle for commercial or public use.
"Fully autonomous vehicle" means a motor vehicle that is equipped with an automated driving system and designed to function without a human driver and has a level of automation that is classified as a level four automation or level five automation as defined in SAE J3016.
"Open-road testbed" means a testbed instrumented with sensing, computing, and connected motor vehicle technologies that is capable of communicating with, and monitoring the operations of, fully autonomous vehicles and their interaction with other motor vehicles and road users.
"Operational design domain" means any operating conditions under which a given automated driving system is specifically designed to function, including, but not limited to, environmental, geographical, and time-of-day restrictions, and the requisite presence or absence of certain traffic or roadway characteristics.
"Operator" means the person seated in the driver's seat of a fully autonomous vehicle.
"Pilot program" means the fully autonomous vehicle pilot program established pursuant to section 2 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).
"Platooning" means a coordinated group of fully autonomous vehicles controlled by a lead vehicle.
2. a. The New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, in consultation with the Department of Transportation, shall establish a 1[five-year] three-year1 pilot program to allow autonomous vehicle testers to operate fully autonomous vehicles in this State, including in closed testbeds and open-road testbeds. A fully autonomous vehicle shall not be tested or operated in the State unless the autonomous vehicle tester has been authorized by the commission to participate in the pilot program and complies with the provisions of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).
b. The commission shall require an autonomous vehicle tester to submit an application to the commission for approval to participate in the pilot program, in a form and manner determined by the commission.
c. The pilot program shall be overseen by a task force 1[made up] composed1 of 1[five] seven1 members 1[composed of] as follows: a1 public safety 1[officials] official1, 1a1 transportation 1[experts] expert1, 1[and autonomous vehicle industry representatives, including] an1 autonomous vehicle 1[developers and] developer, an1 automobile insurance industry 1[representatives] representative1, 1[and] a1 consumer 1[advocates] advocate, and two representatives of the commission. The task force members shall be1 appointed by the commission, in consultation with the department. The task force shall:
(1) provide quarterly reports to the commission and to the department regarding the status of the pilot program;
(2) solicit public feedback concerning the pilot program;
(3) assist the commission and 1the1 department in establishing responses and protocols related to fully autonomous vehicle collisions, cyberattacks against autonomous vehicle manufacturers and fully autonomous vehicles, major operational disruptions concerning fully autonomous vehicles, and liability in event of fully autonomous vehicle collisions; and
(4) coordinate with the New Jersey Division of State Police and the Office of the Attorney General to develop guidelines to govern pedestrian and driver security and safety.
d. An autonomous vehicle tester shall not operate a fully autonomous vehicle in the State unless:
(1) the operator is:
(a) seated in the driver's seat of the fully autonomous vehicle;
(b) monitoring the operation of the fully autonomous vehicle;
(c) capable of taking immediate manual control of the fully autonomous vehicle;
(d) an employee, independent contractor, or other person designated and trained by the autonomous vehicle tester concerning the capabilities and limitations of the fully autonomous vehicle;
(e) not under the influence of drugs or alcohol; and
(f) a holder of a valid basic driver's license or other appropriate license, as determined by the commission;
(2) the autonomous vehicle tester registers each fully autonomous vehicle to be operated with the commission; and submits to the commission, in a manner and form determined by the commission, proof of liability insurance, self-insurance, or a surety bond of at least $5,000,000 for damages by reason of bodily injury, death, or property damage caused by the fully autonomous vehicle; and
(3) the operator and the autonomous vehicle tester:
(a) comply with any provision of Title 39 of the Revised Statutes or any other law of this State concerning the operation of a motor vehicle;
(b) comply with the standards established by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration regarding fully autonomous vehicles; and
(c) satisfy any other requirement as determined by the chief administrator, in consultation with the Commissioner of Transportation, as necessary to ensure the safe operation of fully autonomous vehicles in the State.
e. The chief administrator may immediately prohibit an operator or autonomous vehicle tester from operating a fully autonomous vehicle if the chief administrator determines that the operation of a fully autonomous vehicle by the operator or autonomous vehicle tester poses a risk to public safety or that the operator or autonomous vehicle tester fails to comply with the provisions of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill) or with the requirements of the pilot program.
f. An autonomous vehicle tester that participates in the pilot program shall provide information to the chief administrator that the chief administrator deems to be appropriate for measuring the performance of the pilot program. The autonomous vehicle tester may withhold any commercially valuable, confidential, or proprietary information.
3. Any fully autonomous vehicle being operated as part of the pilot program shall:
a. be equipped with a redundant safety system to ensure a controlled stop in case of system failure and be equipped with technology that ensures appropriate motor vehicle control;
b. allow the operator or emergency responders to override autonomous functions through manual controls of an emergency stop mechanism and allow operators to take control at any time through various methods, including but not limited to, use of the brake, the accelerator pedal, or steering wheel;
c. alert operators when fully autonomous vehicle technology has been disengaged and the operator is required to take over control of the motor vehicle;
d. retain data recordings beginning 30 seconds before a collision and be capable of capturing operational data such as speed, steering, braking, sensor inputs, and system failures;
e. be equipped with crash-avoidance systems, including pedestrian detection, automatic emergency braking, and lane keep assist systems;
f. comply with posted speed limits and emit artificial noise for pedestrian safety;
g. meet industry cybersecurity standards to prevent unauthorized access or hacking and ensure that all data is encrypted for privacy protection; and
h. bear a marker that is visible to other drivers and pedestrians to indicate the motor vehicle is a fully autonomous vehicle.
4. All fully autonomous vehicle collisions shall be reported, along with any relevant data, to the department within 48 hours.
5. a. The department shall establish new fully autonomous vehicle testing environments, including closed testbeds and open-road testbeds, and shall also make use of any existing autonomous vehicle testing environments.
b. The department shall
identify funding sources to invest in and shall coordinate with counties and municipalities
to deploy smart infrastructure for fully autonomous vehicles including sensor
equipped roads, communication systems, and real-time traffic management
technology.
6. a. Fully autonomous vehicles operating as taxis shall only be permitted to operate on designated highways, shall be marked as fully autonomous, shall be continuously monitored through data reporting, and shall have communication systems for emergency overrides by authorities.
b. Fully autonomous vehicles operating as commercial trucks shall operate on designated highways under specific speed and weight restrictions set by the department and shall require appropriate licensing for operators ensuring operators are capable of manually controlling the vehicle, if needed.
c. Platooning is authorized for fully autonomous vehicles operating as commercial trucks on highways with a lead vehicle controlled by an operator. Trucks that employ synchronized braking and acceleration that follow the lead vehicle may operate at a level five automation and without a human driver.
7. No later than six months after completion of the three-year pilot program, the commission shall submit to the Governor and, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), to the Legislature a report that evaluates the pilot program and includes recommendations for the safe integration of fully autonomous vehicles on the highways of this State.
8. The commission shall adopt, in consultation with the department, and pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), rules and regulations to effectuate the purposes of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).
9. This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire upon the submission of the report required to be submitted pursuant to section 7 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).