July 1, 2026
Honorable Tasha Boerner
Chair, California Assembly Committee on Communications and Conveyance
1021 O Street, Suite 6610
Sacramento, CA 95814
Re: SB 1246 (Cortese) as amended June 24, 2026
Autonomous Vehicle Safety: SUPPORT
Dear Chair Boerner:
Our organizations, which together represent consumers and traffic safety advocates in California and across the nation, strongly urge your AYE vote for SB 1246, important and timely auto safety legislation which would provide basic safety guardrails for autonomous vehicles, as they are increasingly deployed on California’s streets.
SB 1246 is an appropriate, necessary response to real-world incidents involving autonomous vehicles that have demonstrated the safety gaps in existing regulations, which too often place lives at risk and impede the ability of first responders to protect the public from hazards such as fires, large-scale power outages, and other threats to public safety.
According to new polling issued by Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, “Public concern about driverless vehicles remains strikingly high. The poll found that 81% of respondents are concerned about sharing the road with driverless cars, including 42% who are “very concerned.” However, the survey also found that 61% said their concerns would be addressed if AV companies had to meet minimum safety requirements. At a time when the federal government has failed to regulate AV technology, which is still in the relatively early stages of being tested and developed, it is all the more important for California to fill the safety gaps and take appropriate steps to protect the motoring public and others who share California’s roads.
In sum, SB 1246 would help prevent harmful incidents involving AVs and also help build public confidence in this burgeoning technology. Thank you for your consideration of our views.
Sincerely,
Michael Brooks
Executive Director
Center for Auto Safety
Amber Rollins
Executive Director
Kids and Car Safety
Catherine Chase
President
Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
Rosemary Shahan
President
Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety
For a printable version of this letter, click here.