New Jersey is considering rules for autonomous ride services, including testing mileage, safety drivers, insurance, accessibility, and vehicle sensors such as lidar. Some proposals use sensor redundancy as a safety floor. Developers argue that rigid technology mandates can freeze today's engineering choices into law, while safety advocates argue that companies should prove performance before carrying passengers without a human driver. An operational design domain defines where and under what conditions an automated system is intended to work. The state must decide whether safety should be demonstrated through prescribed equipment, measured outcomes, staged deployment, ordinary traffic law, or a future federal framework. Robotaxis should have to prove they are safer than a novice experiment, but the law should judge results instead of picking a favorite sensor forever. Start small, publish the evidence, and make the company responsible when things go wrong.
What proof of safety should robotaxis owe New Jersey?