Coordinating State Policies, Laws, and Regulations for Automated Driving Systems Across New England
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Summary
This report addresses the challenge of inconsistent regulatory frameworks for Automated Driving Systems (ADS) across the New England region, which hinders the seamless multi-state operation of ADS-equipped vehicles. The research was motivated by the need to establish a coordinated, uniform approach to policies, laws, and regulations among Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. While ADS deployment has grown nationally, it remains concentrated in specific geographies, leaving regions like New England with challenging operational domains but significant opportunities for rural mobility, cross-state passenger services, and commercial freight. The study aims to provide a foundation for regional collaboration to support safe testing and deployment, thereby attracting investment and serving as a model for other regions. The methodology involved a comprehensive research process conducted between December 2020 and June 2022 by Stantec, the Texas Transportation Institute, and Fort Hill Companies. The team performed an in-depth literature review of ADS-focused policy and legal research, engaging with a Technical Committee representing the New England states. Additionally, the researchers conducted stakeholder outreach, including interviews with industry representatives, transportation professionals, municipalities, insurance firms, and legal organizations. A workshop with representatives from states outside New England that are active in ADS deployment was also held to gather broader perspectives on regulatory challenges. Key findings highlight significant barriers to regional coordination, including inconsistent terminology for concepts such as "driver," "testing," and "deployment," as well as fragmented approaches to liability, insurance, vehicle registration, and crash reporting. The report identifies that federal safety regulations are still evolving, creating uncertainty for state-level governance. To address these issues, the authors recommend that New England states execute a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to formalize regional coordination and potentially create an ADS regional entity. Specific recommendations include adopting common definitions for "operator" and "driver" that account for non-human entities, implementing uniform approaches to licensing and insurance, and prioritizing law enforcement coordination. The report also advises standardizing data exchange protocols between the public sector and industry, while protecting proprietary data, and proactively educating the public and decision-makers on ADS capabilities and limitations. The significance of this work lies in its provision of a actionable roadmap for New England states to overcome regulatory silos and support the integration of ADS into their transportation systems. By establishing a consistent regional framework, the states can facilitate efficient goods and passenger movement across borders and inform national dialogue on ADS policy. The report emphasizes that a coordinated approach will benefit all stakeholders by clarifying roles and responsibilities, reducing legal ambiguity, and fostering public trust. Ultimately, the findings offer a template for other regions seeking to collaborate on ADS deployment, ensuring that regulatory structures adapt to the technological maturity of automated driving systems.
Key finding
The study concludes that a coordinated, multi-state regulatory approach is essential for the New England region to support the safe and seamless deployment of ADS-equipped vehicles across state lines.
Methodology
review
Provenance
The full processing record for this entry. Every stage of this paper's journey through the pipeline is logged — what ran, with which tool and model, how many attempts it took, and when it last completed. Discovered via bulk_ingest_rosap on 2026-05-23 (6 acquisition events logged).
| Stage | Outcome | Tool | Model | Prompt | Attempts | Completed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| discover | success | rosap | — | — | 2 | 2026-05-23 |
| archive | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-05-23 |
| extract | success | cached | — | — | 2 | 2026-06-10 |
| clean | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-01 |
| chunk | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-01 |
| embed | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-02 |
| enrich | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-05-23 |
| promote | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-05-23 |
| summarize | success | llm | qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant | summ-v5 | 3 | 2026-06-10 |
| tag | success | vector_similarity | — | — | 19 | 2026-06-11 |
| verify | success | — | — | — | 2 | 2026-06-10 |
Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-10; verification: verified.
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- Applied Guidance: policy recommendations
- Theoretical Contribution: conceptual framework