MADISON – State legislators are hoping to allow driverless cars on Wisconsin roadways, with proper permitting.
A group of Republican lawmakers circulated a bill for co-sponsorship in December that would allow autonomous cars to hit the roads, and create an oversight body to license the vehicles and ensure safety for other drivers and pedestrians.
According to the co-sponsorship memo, Wisconsin does not allow driverless cars on roadways, though there are pilot programs being run at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and in Racine.
The bill, authored by Reps. Dave Maxey, R-New Berlin, and Nate Gustafson, R-Omro, as well as Sen. Rachel Cabral-Guevara, R-Fox Crossing, would create an Autonomous Driving Safety Board and a permitting process for the vehicles, which would also allow the state to hold public hearings and get the thoughts of other drivers.
The legislation would also establish safeguards for financial responsibility in the case of accidents, and require low alcohol thresholds for any human operators, along with the ability of the board to suspend permits if safety concerns arise.
The state already has an Automated Vehicle External Advisory Committee within the Department of Transportation, which has discovered that driverless cars could be helpful, particularly during inclement weather.
“Economically, the bill seeks to position Wisconsin as a competitive player in the growing autonomous vehicle industry, which could attract investments, create jobs in manufacturing, software development, and logistics, and boost related sectors like supply chain automation,” the memo says.
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said in a Dec. 30 interview that he’s open to self-driving cars hitting the roads. He’s never tested one, he said, but has heard from friends that “it’s fantastic.”
“I would rather have a regulated system in Wisconsin, so we know exactly what we’re getting,” he said. “So if there’s a bill that does that, I’m certainly open to it.”
Other states have permitted driverless cars on roadways, such as Texas, which allows driverless trucking operations, and California and Nevada, which have been testing Waymo cars, the memo says.
But those states have experienced issues, too.
On Dec. 21, a widespread power outage in San Francisco led Waymo cars to shut down, blocking traffic and angering other drivers, according to the New York Times.
Driverless cars have been spotted making illegal U-turns, while others have struck and killed pets.
But researchers have noted that the driverless cars are involved in fewer car crashes, potentially making roadways safer the more they are deployed.
Researchers with the nonpartisan Badger Institute encouraged lawmakers to take a look at the autonomous car laws in Wisconsin in July, saying that self-driving cars or shuttles could help bridge gaps in infrastructure, especially in rural areas where rideshares or taxis are expensive and hard to access.
“The time is now for officials and lawmakers to consider what self-driving vehicles can do for mobility,” the July 2025 report said.
Laura Schulte can be reached at leschulte@jrn.com and on X @SchulteLaura. 

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