While since 2020, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet has reported at least 740 vehicle related fatalities each year.

Some people think driverless vehicles would make the road safer.

House Bill seven would create a framework for fully autonomous vehicles or AVS for short to navigate Kentucky roads.

It would require trucks weighing over £62,000 to have a human observer along for the first two years.

The law takes effect.

The Avs must meet certain safety standards, including knowing when to pull over when there is a malfunction.

Supporters of the bill believe AVS could make roads safer and help the state adapt to a rapidly changing economy.

Our Clayton Dalton was in Frankfort today as the bill's sponsor makes a pitch for its passage.

We have here a study that the Department of Transportation has put out, and if I could, I'd like to read directly from it what the Cabinet believes as far as safety of these.

It says the Cabinet believes that these vehicles will help the agency deliver on its mission by preventing non-injury and fatal crashes, stimulating economic activity, strengthening the mobility of populations, underserved by the current transportation system, and potentially mitigating congestion.

It's important within Kentucky that we try to be at the forefront of innovation, and it's important that we think long term about logistics and how we're going to move freight.

As economic growth expands and we have fewer workers to do it.

But some lawmakers are not convinced that autonomous vehicles or AVS are safe.

I don't understand our rush to be at the front of this technology when it's not yet proven to be safe for our people in emergency situations where a human driver is present.

They can make split second decisions based on years of experience behind the wheel.

Autonomous vehicles and the air technology does not have years of experience because they are still learning.

Supporters pushed back against claims that Avs would destroy jobs.

We've heard that these autonomous vehicles kill jobs.

If jobs are concerned, I would I would urge you to go talk to some of these autonomous vehicles companies, because when they put one of those vehicles on the road for every driver that is not in that vehicle, it takes five people to maintain that vehicle.

They are creating jobs.

Their high paying tech jobs.

We're not taking jobs.

Some of these folks who are opposing this in certain industries need to realize they have to adapt to the jobs and there will be more jobs there.

A similar bill was passed out of both chambers last year but was vetoed by Democratic Governor Andy Beshear.

That veto was not overridden.

This year's bill passed out of the House and now heads to Kentucky's upper chamber the Senate.

For Kentucky Edition, I'm Clayton Dalton.

House Bill seven passed today 61 to 31, with over ten Republicans joining Democrats in opposition.