In one paragraph
Illinois's SB 3392 would create the Autonomous Vehicle Pilot Project Act, letting level 4 or 5 autonomous vehicles operate on public roads under authorization from the Department of Transportation, with pilot projects confined to counties of 1,000,000 or more, Sangamon County and the Metro East counties. The Act would be repealed January 1, 2029. Filed February 4, 2026; re-referred to Assignments May 15, 2026; it has not passed either house.
Plain-English summary, written with AI assistance. The official text controls.
What it means for business
If enacted, companies running autonomous vehicles in Illinois would need Department of Transportation authorization, $1,000,000 per incident in insurance, a surety bond or self-insurance, and a first responder plan; manufacturers would have evaluation-data duties.
Key provisions
- A person starting a pilot project must give the Department of Transportation a statement of its operational design domain, confined to counties with 1,000,000 or more people, Sangamon County, or Madison, St. Clair and Monroe counties (Sec. 10)
- After 3 years the Department could by rule authorize statewide deployment if pilot projects have shown safety and operational readiness (Sec. 10)
- Operating requires Department authorization, backed by a first responder interaction plan, a compliance statement, and $1,000,000 per incident in financial responsibility; the Department must approve a complete application within 10 days (Sec. 15)
- An engaged automated driving system is treated as the driver and as licensed (Sec. 20); owners or authorization holders must report crashes under the Vehicle Code (Sec. 25)
- Manufacturers processing evaluation data to develop automated driving systems would be shielded from civil suits and damages over that processing, including under consent laws, if they do not use it to identify individuals and keep appropriate security; the Attorney General alone enforces those two duties (Sec. 45)
- The State would regulate autonomous vehicles exclusively and home rule units could not (Sec. 50); the Act is repealed January 1, 2029 and would take effect on becoming law
Latest legislative action
May 30, 2026. Added as Co-Sponsor Sen. Donald P. DeWitte
Sponsors
| Name | Role | District |
|---|---|---|
| Emil Jones D | Sponsor | SD-014 |
| Mark Walker D | Sponsor | SD-027 |
| Michael Hastings D | Sponsor | SD-019 |
Topics and industries
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Affected industries
This page is general information, not legal advice. Summaries are AI-assisted and may contain errors; read the statute for the controlling text and talk to a lawyer about your situation. Full disclaimer · Report an error