Advocates urge New Mexico lawmakers to enact stricter regulations on automated commercial vehicles

Advocates on Friday urged New Mexico lawmakers to join a handful of states that have passed public safety regulations for self-driving commercial vehicles.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported 1,199 automated vehicle crashes nationwide in the past year.

Driving systems that provide both automated speed and steering input but require a human driver were involved in 1,857 crashes.

Daniel Cook, a business agent with Teamsters Local 492 in Albuquerque, began his career driving commercial vehicles in Alaska at age 19.

Six states — Hawaii, California, Nevada, Arizona, Texas, and Arkansas — passed self-driving vehicle regulations that require companies to obtain permits and state authorization to test or operate automated vehicles.