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New jersey lawmakers are taking the first steps toward joining the majority of other states in authorizing and regulating autonomous vehicles on the state's roadways.

The Assembly Science, Innovation and Technology and the Transportation and Independent Authorities committees held a joint hearing Monday to consider whether autonomous vehicles, which do not require drivers at the wheel during normal operations, should be allowed to be operated and tested in the state.

The combined committees did not take action on most of the bills, but did recommend that the Legislature create a task force to further consider the issue.

Most other states—most notably Californian, Arizona and Ohio—already have taken steps to authorize and encourage the testing, development and use of driverless vehicles, according to to statistics provided by the National Conference of State Legislatures.

New Jersey is only one of a handful of states that have done nothing to address what is fast becoming a worldwide trend.

The combined committees invited industry experts to testify on the issue.

“What I would love to see is for these vehicles to come to New Jersey and be put to work,” said Alain Kornhauser, a professor of operations research and financial engineering at Princeton University and a longtime proponent of the use of autonomous vehicles.

Kornhauser noted that Waymo, a subsidiary of Google parent company Alphabet, has experienced “exponential growth” since its foundation in 2009.

Josh Fisher, the manager of state government relations for the Association of Global Automakers, said the increased use of autonomous vehicles could result in the reduction of highway deaths and injuries, since most accidents are caused by human error.

“We understand that there is some level of fear and anxiety” about the use of autonomous vehicles,” Fisher said, “but once people understand, the concerns rapidly fall.”

Members of the committee said the Legislature will still have to consider who will be responsible for maintaining insurance coverage for autonomous vehicles if they are involved in accidents.

At present there are three bills under consideration:

• A-1853, sponsored by Assemblywoman Pamela Lampitt, D-Camden, and Assemblyman Daniel Benson, D-Mercer, would authorize the testing of autonomous vehicles on public roads;
• A-4541, sponsored by Assemblyman Andrew Zwicker, D-Monmouth, would require the state Motor Vehicle Commission to create regulations for issuing driver's licenses to owners of autonomous vehicles; and
• A-4573, sponsored by Zwicker and Benson, would create a one-year pilot program to monitor the testing of autonomous vehicles.

The state Senate is not publicly considering the issue at present.

The administration of Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy, while expressing interest in the  technology, has not taken a firm position on the issue.