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Stakeholders in the field of automated vehicles (AVs)—from developers to the general public—seek confidence in the safety of these machines. In summer 2019, the Uber Advanced Technologies Group approached the RAND Corporation for help in understanding (a) approaches for establishing that AVs are acceptably safe, and (b) which approaches appeal more and less broadly across […]
Today’s cars come chock-full of advanced driver-assistance systems that help drivers avoid collisions and accidents. These systems have helped make modern cars safer than ever, but on the financial side have produced a mixed bag of savings and costs for drivers. Car insurance rates are where drivers can see the most difference, depending on how […]
Washington, DC (CNN) — Michigan announced Thursday that it’s teaming with tech and auto companies to attempt to retrofit a roughly 40-mile stretch of two roads outside Detroit exclusively for self-driving vehicles. Michigan’s partners include Ford and Sidewalk Infrastructure Partners, a company that Alphabet has invested in. Alphabet owns Google (GOOG) and Waymo, one of the companies at the forefront of developing self-driving […]
Autonomous vehicles (AVs) promise many benefits, but questions remain about how law enforcement (LE) officers will interact with them. Officers likely will encounter new challenges related to technology, procedures, and constitutional authorities. To better understand the potential challenges of LE interaction with AVs, the RAND Corporation and the Police Executive Research Forum, on behalf of […]
Advances in vehicle technology have evolved significantly in recent years and are changing the role and responsibilities of drivers. Complex automation can now control the vehicle’s speed, headway, and lane position, and capabilities continue to expand. Drivers need to understand these new vehicle features in order to use them effectively and appropriately. The understanding of […]
A new study from Consumer Reports estimates that requiring cutting-edge safety features on all new motor vehicles would reduce annual traffic deaths in the U.S. by more than half. The study points out that despite the benefits, how and when these systems should be deployed still lacks a robust regulatory framework from Congress or federal agencies. […]
Vehicle technologies can now actively control parts of the driving task for extended periods of time, potentially allowing drivers to disengage from their driving responsibilities. It is imperative that we continue to assess how these new features can affect driver behavior and performance. This report summarizes an analysis of data from two Naturalistic Driving Studies […]
For a while there, the future of driving looked awfully robotic, like our streets were just a few years from hosting hordes of soul-sucked pods, nary a steering wheel or pedal to be seen. But while Waymo, Cruise, Uber and other outfits working to dump the human driver have struggled to deliver commercially viable fleets […]
New advanced technologies are being integrated into vehicles at an accelerating pace, offering new safety and convenience features to drivers. However, in addition to being complex systems in and of themselves, these technologies stand to change the fundamental nature of the driving task, especially as the systems take on more of the driving responsibilities. Driver […]
Distracted driving related to cell phone usage ranks among the top three causes of fatal crashes on the road. Although forty-eight of 50 U.S. states allow the use of personal devices if operated hands-free and secured in the vehicle, scientific studies have yet to quantify the safety improvement presumed to be introduced by voice-to-text interactions. […]