WHAT IF YOU COULD REMOVE error as a cause of motor vehicle crashes? The reality is we are getting closer to that point every day. Cars are getting smarter, and smarter means safer.

Advanced braking systems can detect a potential collision and help a car stop before it happens, and features such as adaptive cruise control can help slow a vehicle to maintain a safe driving distance from other vehicles.

These important safety features are also stepping stones to something much larger: self-driving vehicles. The advent of these fully autonomous vehicles is now in the foreseeable future – a matter of years, not decades.

Massachusetts has a history of leading when it comes to revolutions, technological and otherwise, and the Commonwealth is positioned to be out front on the sea-change coming with self-driving cars. Being on the cutting edge of the issue will pay dividends across the economy – from technology companies to delivery services to auto makers – and states that fall behind are going to find themselves at an economic disadvantage. Most importantly, this technology can improve the safety of Massachusetts streets.

Self-driving cars will help alleviate traffic congestion, facilitate economic growth, and increase independence for people who are unable to operate a vehicle or lack access to public transportation. These vehicles will improve how efficiently we travel, increase productivity, and transform our economy and lifestyles. Imagine downtown Boston with noticeably less congestion. It’s possible.

More important than improving lives is saving them. According to the National Safety Council, US fatalities increased sharply in 2016 to more than 40,000 people, including 399 in Massachusetts. Data indicate that more than 90 percent of highway fatalities are caused by human behaviors such as impaired driving, distracted driving, and excessive speed. Imagine the number of lives we could save with the inclusion of self-driving vehicles.

GM does not support state legislative language that excludes responsible entities from the self-driving market. We intend to work with all interested stakeholders in Massachusetts to achieve a fair and reasonable policy that facilitates the deployment of automated vehicles in a safe manner.

The Massachusetts Legislature can take the lead with a legal framework that encourages and fosters innovation while ensuring safety for its citizens. Even though Gov. Charlie Baker and the city of Boston have acted to enable limited testing, only the Legislature can remove the roadblocks that are built into the current laws because they require a human driver in the vehicle. The industry can move forward safely and responsibly with laws and regulations that require companies to test self-driving vehicles, deploy them on streets safely, and develop and refine the technology with parameters in place that ensure that public safety is the top priority. The biggest threat to a robust self-driving car sector is a failure to safeguard the public.

Massachusetts should establish reasonable guidelines that put safety first, without unnecessarily limiting technological innovation. The benefits that self-driving vehicles will bring are clear, but before fully autonomous technology can be introduced to consumers, research and testing is needed in a safe, controlled environment. This is precisely why we need to enact laws now that ensure self-driving technology is deployed responsibly in the future.

A responsible policy cannot exclude capable entities that can add real value to the self-driving vehicle market. The right approach means all interested stakeholders in Massachusetts should work together to achieve a fair and reasonable outcome that facilitates the deployment of autonomous vehicles in a safe and responsible manner.

Today, without legislation, Massachusetts would have no guidance in what self-driving cars can and cannot do on our roads. That means anyone with a car and technical inclination can develop and experiment on our roads with a homemade self-driving vehicle.  That’s a recipe for real problems. The legal framework to protect the public must come first.

Self-driving vehicle technology is a breakthrough that will dramatically improve our transportation ecosystem. But to realize the full benefits, the roll-out needs to be executed smoothly and safely. We shouldn’t delay in embracing access to innovative technologies that enhance quality of life, promote security, and reduce accidents and fatalities. This legislation will promote safety while cutting innovation-stifling red tape and establish Massachusetts as a leader in transportation progress.

Harry Lightsey is the executive director of emerging technologies policy at General Motors.