This bill adds a new section to chapter 46.92 RCW and amends RCW 46.92.010 to create regulatory requirements for autonomous vehicles registered in Washington. It requires such vehicles to meet applicable federal motor vehicle standards, and it prohibits operating an autonomous vehicle on a highway to transport passengers or goods unless a human safety operator is physically present in the vehicle and meets all state and federal requirements to operate a motor vehicle and an autonomous vehicle. The bill therefore creates a new statutory framework and modifies an existing statute; the changes are primarily procedural and regulatory rather than creating a new crime or specifying new criminal penalties in the provided text. The bill establishes definitions for “autonomous vehicle” (level three, four, or five under SAE J3016B as of the section’s effective date or a later date set by the department) and for “human safety operator,” and it clarifies the existing amended definition of “autonomous” in RCW 46.92.010 as level four or five under SAE J3016 as of October 1, 2022 (or as later specified by rule). It requires entities that self-certify for testing to provide contact information, local jurisdictions of planned testing, vehicle identification numbers or an assigned unique identification number for vehicles without VINs, and proof of insurance that meets RCW 46.30.050. Self-certifying entities must notify the department of reportable collisions (per RCW 46.52.030) and moving violations, submit an annual report by February 1 covering the prior calendar year with details about whether the autonomous system was operating, and provide advance written notice to relevant local or state law enforcement 14 to 60 days before testing begins with specified contents. The bill authorizes the department to adopt a self-certification fee to cover program administration, requires the department to provide public access to information supplied by self-certifying entities, and directs the department to deliver an annual summary report to the legislature’s house and senate transportation committees. It also bans testing an autonomous motor vehicle on public roadways unless the new section’s requirements are met and the department has received the information required under subsection (1) of RCW 46.92.010. The text provided leaves some matters unclear: the specific state department referenced as “the department” is not identified, “self-certifying entity” is not defined in the extracted facts, the effective date tied to the SAE J3016B standard is not specified, the relationship between the two SAE-based definitions is not explained, and no enforcement mechanisms, penalties, or an effective date for the act are included in the extracted material.

If enacted, companies testing or operating autonomous vehicles in Washington would face clear new compliance steps and limits: they must keep a human safety operator who can take full control whenever autonomous vehicles carry passengers or goods on highways, provide advance written notice (14–60 days) and detailed contact/vehicle information to local or state law enforcement before testing, show proof of required insurance, report collisions and moving violations to the department, and file an annual report by February 1. Test vehicles without VINs must display a unique ID, testing is blocked until the required information is submitted, and the state department can charge fees to cover administration while publishing test information and sending an annual summary to legislative transportation committees. Practically, that means higher staffing and insurance costs, more administrative work and coordination with police and the Washington State Patrol, and likely slower or more expensive commercial deployments of on‑highway passenger or goods services without onboard human operators. The groups most affected are the self‑certifying entities (AV developers and fleet operators), the unnamed state department that must run the program, and local law enforcement and the Washington State Patrol who will receive notices and reports. Self‑certifying entities will face new operational, reporting, and potential fee costs and fewer options for driverless highway service; the department will take on ongoing administrative duties that may be offset by fees. Important details are unclear from the provided text—specifically which state department administers the program, how “self‑certifying entity” is defined, enforcement or penalties for noncompliance, the act’s effective date, and how the two different SAE level definitions in the bill interact—which could affect how the requirements are applied in practice.