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Studying traffic is really just studying people. After all, it’s our vehicles, habits and natural responses to stimuli (or lack thereof) that cause traffic in the first place. One traffic phenomenon that continues to vex us as drivers is something known as a “phantom traffic jam” and unlike a jam that’s a result of something […]
This policy paper sets out recommendations for legislative reform to: provide clarity about the situations when an automated driving system (ADS), rather than a human driver, may drive a vehicle; ensure there is a legal entity that can be held responsible for the operation of the automated driving system; establish any new legal obligations that […]
This report examines how increasing automation of cars and trucks could affect road safety and which security vulnerabilities will need to be addressed with the rise of self-driving vehicles. The report applies the principles of the “Safe System”, which is at the forefront of current thinking about road safety, to the wider discussion on vehicle […]
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) today launched a series of meetings with key stakeholders to discuss the ramifications of automated vehicles on U.S. roads. The “national dialogue” meetings are being held across the country to engage a diverse group of stakeholders from industry and the public sector to understand the key […]
Data from a Tesla electric vehicle confirms that a Utah driver had engaged the car’s semi-autonomous Autopilot functions before she slammed into the back of a firetruck last week. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has sent its special crash investigations team to the state, the agency said as details about the Friday evening crash […]
When hackers struck the Colorado Department of Transportation in a ransomware attack in February and again eight days later, they disrupted the agency’s operations for weeks. State officials had to shut down 2,000 computers, and transportation employees were forced to use pen and paper or their personal devices instead of their work computers. Staffers whose […]
Discussions about autonomous vehicles have to date been largely theoretical. But think about it — very soon we’re going to have cars operating on American roads that don’t have steering wheels, pedals or any human control. This will profoundly alter the nature of the relationship between automakers and consumers, and the legal implications of this […]
Discussions about autonomous vehicles have to date been largely theoretical. But think about it – very soon we’re going to have cars operating on American roads that don’t have steering wheels, pedals, or any human control. This will profoundly alter the nature of the relationship between automakers and consumers, and the legal implications of this […]
This paper summarizes the findings of a symposium and research on the implications of autonomous vehicles for cities and regions. It is intended for planners and local government officials involved in land-use planning, urban design, and transportation. Readers will learn about the need to plan for the potential benefits and negative impacts of autonomous vehicles […]
As long as robot cars roam public streets and highways, they will occasionally kill people. That’s the ugly truth that no on in the driver-less vehicle industry can deny. Will those robot cars kill people at significantly lower rates than drunk, stoned, tired, or distracted human drivers do now? Automakers, technology companies, politicians, and regulators […]
