An official website of the United States government.
Here's how you know
The .gov means it's official.
Federal government websites always use a .gov or .mil domain. Before sharing sensitive information online, make sure you’re on a .gov or .mil site by inspecting your browser's address (or "location") bar.
This site is also protected by an SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate that's been signed by the U.S. government. The https:// means all transmitted data is encrypted — in other words, any information or browsing history that you provide is transmitted securely.
Fully autonomous vehicles, which would carry out many or all of their functions without the intervention of a driver, may someday bring sweeping social and economic changes and “lead to breakthrough gains in transportation safety.” Motor vehicle crashes caused an estimated 36,560 fatalities in 2018; a study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) […]
There are many situations where tacit communication between drivers and pedestrians governs and enhances safety. The goal of this study was to formalize this communication and apply it to the driving strategy of an autonomous vehicle. Toward this, a field study of the interaction between drivers and pedestrians was performed. Vehicles were instrumented to capture […]
In 2008, 292 people were killed and another 18,000 injured when motorists attempted the most dangerous driving stunt permitted outside of a closed-course test track: backing up. Children under age five, who comprise 44% of all backup fatalities, were most likely to pay the price when things went wrong. From the perspective of the engineer, […]
Driverless cars aren’t here yet. More vehicles are incorporating a degree of automation with technologies such as adaptive cruise control and lane centering, but the driver will continue to share driving responsibilities for the foreseeable future. In theory, fully automated driving could eliminate the vast majority of crashes, but that level of automation won’t be parked […]
Many young urbanites don’t want to own a car, and unlike earlier generations, they don’t have to rely on mass transit. Instead they treat mobility as a service: when they need to travel significant distances, say, more than 5 miles (8 kilometers), they use their phones to summon an Uber (or a car from a […]
Issue Automated vehicles hold the potential to disrupt our transportation system in the 21st century. Experts predict that vehicles could be fully automated by as early as 2025 or as late as 2035. While vehicle automation may improving safety and efficiency and expanding mobility, the technology could also lead people to drive more often and […]
2019 Forum on the Impact of Vehicle Technologies and Automation on Users – Design and Safety Implications: A Summary Report Published April 2020 Forum Objectives Gather representatives/experts from the research community, government, and industry to discuss issues and identify research needs and critical considerations regarding the design and safety of vehicle technologies and automation Develop […]
This pdf document outlines previous and potential traffic safety measures on the Federal level in the following areas. Encouraging Safer Driving Behavior Vehicle Safety Improvements Roadway Safety Improvements Commercial Transportation Safety Options for Congress State of Traffic Safety in America Driving is one of the riskiest activities the average American engages in. Deaths and serious […]
Dear Traffic Safety Community, On behalf of GHSA, I hope you and your families are staying healthy and safe during these uncertain times. Many traffic safety organizations have canceled or postponed a number of in-person meetings this spring and summer in response to coronavirus-related travel restrictions and health concerns. The continued ambiguity surrounding how soon […]
Autonomous vehicles are currently subject to a lot of hope, hype and hysteria, especially after the recent fatality in Arizona, when a pedestrian was struck and killed by one of Uber’s self-driving cars. Autonomous vehicles will likely have as significant an impact on our lives as electricity, computers and the internet all did. However, just like […]
