(Columbus, OH) - On Friday, Scioto Analysis released a paper on how states can incorporate vehicle miles traveled fees into the regulatory framework for autonomous vehicle adoption. Included in the paper are options for use of revenue generated with autonomous vehicle fees and an implementation timeline in the illustrative state of Ohio.
“Driving is associated with external costs such as congestion, crashes, emissions, and infrastructure degradation,” said Rob Moore, principal of Scioto Analysis and author of the paper, “the holy grail of automobile cost control is a vehicle miles traveled fee.”
While gasoline taxes have traditionally been used to control the costs of driving, increasing variability in fuel mileage and technological advances in data collection are tilting the scale in favor of vehicle mile traveled fees. The development of the regulatory framework around autonomous vehicles will provide policymakers with a particular opportunity to implement vehicle miles traveled fees.
“Automation gives opportunities for companies to cut costs, but that opportunity is contingent on state enabling legislation,” Moore said, “Fees can be assessed to capture the costs of driving and can be spent on credits for low-income families, worker retraining, or public investments.”
Scioto Analysis is a public policy analysis firm based in Columbus, Ohio that provides policymakers and policy influencers with evidence-based analysis of pressing public problems.