Addressing Community Challenges Emerging From Self-Driving Systems or the ACCESS Act

This bill directs the Department of Transportation (DOT) to establish in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration an Advisory Council on Improving Mobility Access for Underserved Populations and Senior Citizens. The council shall undertake information gathering activities, develop technical advice, and present best practices or recommendations to DOT regarding mobility access for senior citizens and populations underserved by traditional public transportation services and educational outreach efforts with respect to the testing and distribution of highly automated vehicles in commerce.

A "highly automated vehicle" is defined as a motor vehicle (excluding a commercial motor vehicle) equipped with an automated driving system.

An "automated driving system" is defined as the hardware and software that are collectively capable of performing the entire dynamic driving task on a sustained basis, regardless of whether such system is limited to a specific operational design domain.