Skip to main content

WSP/Parsons Brinckerhoff - Driving towards driverless

WSP/Parsons Brinckerhoff US-based manager for Sustainable Transportation Lauren Isaac, who is to speak on connected and autonomous vehicles (CAV) at the forthcoming ITS World Congress in Melbourne, suggests in a research paper, Driving Towards Driverless, that new AV world will be either a nightmare or utopia. She suggests that which scenario plays out will largely depend on the amount of vehicle sharing future road users are prepared to accept. For example, close to full automation and ride sharing would e
October 7, 2016 Read time: 2 mins

6666 WSP/4983 Parsons Brinckerhoff US-based manager for Sustainable Transportation Lauren Isaac, who is to speak on connected and autonomous vehicles (CAV) at the forthcoming ITS World Congress in Melbourne, suggests in a research paper, Driving Towards Driverless, that new AV world will be either a nightmare or utopia. She suggests that which scenario plays out will largely depend on the amount of vehicle sharing future road users are prepared to accept. For example, close to full automation and ride sharing would equal utopia, while the opposite would result in a ‘driverless nightmare’ situation.

“Of utmost importance is finding a balance between guarding public safety while regulating insurance/liability and simultaneously encouraging investment in research and development of driverless vehicles and their implementation and integration into our transportation system,” she says.

Isaac says it is government action – now and in the future – that will determine how AVs are integrated into society and if the impacts are largely positive or negative.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Irdeto security expert: ‘Think maliciously to beat hackers’
    September 4, 2018
    Increased connectivity in transportation is a potential goldmine for hackers. To stop them, Stacy Janes at Irdeto says it’s important to think ‘maliciously’. Adam Hill talks to him about ITS’s weak points – and why turning up car radios could be enough to bring auto manufacturers to their knees
  • US DOTs introduce measures to stop wrong-way driving
    March 28, 2018
    Wrong-way driving (WWD) is a remarkably innocuous term for incidents that all too often cause some of the worst accidents that emergency services have to deal with. Several US states are now taking steps to minimise the problem, as Alan Dron finds out. You’re driving down a highway at night when you see approaching headlights. You initially assume they are merely those of an oncoming car on the opposite carriageway. It’s only when they are within 200 yards or so that you realise that the other driver is in
  • DemandTrans partners with Easymile on driverless shuttles, North America
    January 24, 2018
    DemandTrans Solutions has partnered with EasyMile to enable North American transportation providers to offer an on-demand service to driverless shuttles. It will also launch a user app with the intention of ensuring point-to-point autonomous transportation. John E. Michel, DemandTrans chairman, said: “Mobility-DR and Switch, our mobility-as-a-service technologies, function as automated mobility operators, seamlessly integrating legs of a trip to maximize the user experience. With the integration of
  • PTV to assist in developing model for driverless transport in Oslo
    March 26, 2018
    PTV’s MaaS Modeller will assist consultancy firm Cowi in developing a model for driverless transport in Oslo on behalf of Norwegian transport authority Ruter. The project aims to understand the implications of new forms of transport and trends brought about by technology such as autonomous vehicles. Through the agreement, Cowi will identify potential opportunities, risks and implications for urban and transport planning in the city as well as in the Akershus county that may arise from new mobility trends.