U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao Unveils Autonomous Vehicles 4.0 at CES
U.S. Department of
Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao
Photo by Bonnie Morét at Autos2050®, April 2019.
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During a recent keynote
speech at CES, U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) Secretary Elaine Chao
unveiled the department's newest autonomous vehicle (AV)
guidelines, "Ensuring American Leadership in Automated Vehicle
Technologies: Autonomous Vehicles 4.0," or AV 4.0.
AV 4.0 defines three
principles that the federal government will recognize when developing AV
technologies:
- Protect
users and communities: Prioritize
safety; emphasize security and cybersecurity; ensure privacy and
data security; and enhance mobility and accessibility.
- Promote
efficient markets: Remain
technology neutral; protect American innovation and creativity; and
modernize regulations.
- Facilitate
coordinated efforts: Promote consistent standards and policies; ensure a
consistent federal approach; and improve transportation system-level
effects.
The guidelines are
intended to unify efforts across 38 federal departments and agencies that are
working to advance safe AV deployment. Stakeholders and the public will be
invited to comment on AV 4.0 once it is published on the Federal Register.
This report follows the
September 2017 release of "Automated Driving Systems 2.0: A Vision for
Safety" (ADS 2.0) and the October 2018 release of "Preparing
for the Future of Transportation: Automated Vehicles 3.0" (AV 3.0), which both offered innovation
guidance to industry and state and local governments. AV 4.0 builds on these
last iterations, with a focus on collaboration and an emphasis on maintaining
global leadership — particularly in the private sector — in the race to deploy
advanced driving systems.
"Automated
vehicles will someday advance traffic safety as they transform surface
transportation," Chao said on stage Wednesday. "Automated vehicles
have the potential to save thousands of lives annually and improve the quality
of life through reduction of traffic congestion, increased productivity and
environmental benefits as well."
"The
landscape for AV innovation is complex and evolving, but the goals are pretty
simple," she said. "They need to improve safety, security and
quality of life for all Americans. That's the barometer for success."
While she touted data from the National Safety
Council (NSC), which found vehicle fatalities dropped 1% from 2017 to 2018, and
about 3% in the first six months of 2019, NSC says the United States is still
seeing around 40,000 vehicle fatalities a year.
The AV 4.0
report says USDOT will establish manufacturing, performance and operational
standards to increase safety in AV testing and integration. However, the exact
parameters of these standards remain unclear.
Outside of safety, Chao highlighted the many advancements in
transportation technology that are to shape the private sector in years to
come, but warned, "It should not be the role of the federal government to
pick winners and losers."
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