Virginia moves to regulate self-driving cars

Virginia is moving toward its first formal statewide framework for self-driving vehicles after lawmakers and transportation officials spent the summer weighing safety, liability, privacy and operating rules. A state work group created by a 2025 law met July 24 and is now working toward draft legislation for the General Assembly, according to state records and reporting by Virginia Mercury. The push comes as Virginia still has no specific statute or regulation governing autonomous vehicle testing, permitting or deployment, even as other states have set rules for commercial operations. Del. David Reid, a Loudoun County Democrat, said the state should avoid a patchwork in which local governments set different rules for when and where autonomous vehicles can operate. ### Why is Virginia writing rules now instead of waiting for the technology to mature? Virginia’s work group exists because the General Assembly directed the secretary of transportation in 2025 to identify the operational, technical and legal issues raised by autonomous driving systems and to develop draft legislation. The law requires consultation with the secretary of public safety and homeland security and includes representatives from the Department of Transportation, Department of State Police, Department of Motor Vehicles, and lawmakers from both chambers. (newsfromthestates.com) The July 24 meeting centered on questions states that already regulate autonomous vehicles have had to answer: who issues permits, what insurance is required, how police interact with driverless vehicles, and whether local governments can impose their own restrictions. Virginia Mercury reported that lawmakers are trying to get ahead of issues seen elsewhere as deployment expands nationally. (law.lis.virginia.gov) ### What kind of rules are under discussion? Work group staff and consultants recommended a multi-stage regulatory framework and permitting process that would evaluate autonomous vehicle safety before and during operation on public roads. Virginia Mercury reported that staff said legislation should focus on two levels of automation: conditional automation, where a human must take over if needed, and high automation, where the system is fully responsible for driving. (newsfromthestates.com) House Bill 1125, a 2026 proposal from Reid that failed in committee, offers a guide to the kind of structure lawmakers have been considering. The bill would have required autonomous operation licenses, set geofence requirements, barred localities from prohibiting autonomous vehicles, imposed civil penalties, and directed the DMV to produce recommendations by November 1, 2026. Senate Bill 670, another 2026 measure, defined terms including “automated driving system,” “fully autonomous vehicle,” “minimal risk condition,” and “operational design domain.” Those definitions show the state is trying to write rules around how a vehicle is allowed to operate, not just whether it can be sold. (newsfromthestates.com) ### Why are local control and statewide consistency such a big issue? (lis.virginia.gov) Del. David Reid said at the July 24 meeting that Virginia should not let 133 local jurisdictions create separate rules for autonomous vehicles. He said the state has a “very uniform Department of Transportation” and should keep a consistent statewide approach, with limited exceptions such as federally controlled airport areas. (lis.virginia.gov) The Virginia Association of Counties said Virginia currently lacks answers on oversight, driver-presence requirements, liability coverage and law-enforcement interaction plans. That gap has made statewide uniformity one of the central issues in the work group’s discussions. ### Where do safety and liability fit into the debate? (newsfromthestates.com) Safety is one of the work group’s core assignments under the 2025 law, alongside legal and operational issues. The law also tells the group to review federal developments, actions in other states, and recommendations from the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. (vaco.org) Virginia Association of Counties said safety presentations to the group described the evidence on autonomous systems as promising but inconclusive. The group is also looking at questions of insurance, enforcement and responsibility when a system, rather than a human, is performing the driving task. ### What happens next in Richmond? (law.lis.virginia.gov) September 1 is the deadline for the work group to complete its meetings under Chapter 498 of the 2025 Acts of Assembly. November 1 is the deadline for the group to submit its report, executive summary and any draft legislation to the General Assembly for publication on the legislature’s website. HB 1124, passed in 2026 and cited by the Virginia Association of Counties, also expanded the group’s scope to examine labor and workforce effects, including job losses and gains, and to engage stakeholders from auto manufacturing and passenger and freight businesses. (vaco.org) That means the next formal milestone is not another hearing headline but a written package of recommendations for the House and Senate transportation committees this fall. (law.lis.virginia.gov)