ITE: position statement on C/AVs following fatal crash in Arizona

A strong government role remains critical to ensuring that the deployment of connected and automated vehicles (C/AVs) improves the quality of lives for all citizens – according to the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE). The Washington DC-based company’s new position statement has been published following the fatal crash involving a self-driving car in Arizona and the rapid development of the technology. ITE highlighted that governments must provide the regulatory oversight to ensure that C/AV test
April 4, 2018 Read time: 2 mins

A strong government role remains critical to ensuring that the deployment of connected and automated vehicles (C/AVs) improves the quality of lives for all citizens – according to the 5667 Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE). The Washington DC-based company’s new position statement has been published following the fatal crash involving a self-driving car in Arizona and the rapid development of the technology.

ITE highlighted that governments must provide the regulatory oversight to ensure that C/AV testing is done transparently and that public safety is not compromised. They can also play a key role in working with the private sector to facilitate deployment and remove regulatory barriers to widespread deployment of proven technologies. The institute highlighted that the private sector, working with the government, has the responsibility to verify that new technologies have been fully tested in off-the-road environments before they enter public roads.

ITE is recommending six key tenants for the development of these vehicles. It includes a Vision Zero goal which reflects the institute's opinion that eliminating fatalities and serious injuries is only possible through C/AVs. Secondly, new technologies must be evaluated in real-world conditions after being tested in off-the-road environments. In addition, ITE supports the rapid adoption of safety assist (SAE Level one) technologies such as lane keeping, blind spot warning, autonomous cruise control and automatic braking on all new vehicles. However, the fourth tenant underscores the institutes belief that SAE Level two and three systems requiring driver monitoring have not been proven safe for use on the open road, in all environments.  The next recommendation states that SAE Level four systems are the most appropriate as an objective for driverless vehicles. Tennant six estimates that cooperative systems achieved through communication between vehicles, infrastructure and other users will provide an enhanced layer of safety and must be pursued.  

More information on the tenants is available %$Linker: 2 External <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 0 0 0 link-external here ITE website link false http://library.ite.org/pub/6059bdbd-aaef-45e4-58f6-f14962022873 false false%>.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Nashville meeting smooth path to Tokyo
    May 29, 2013
    Plans for each ITS World Congress to smoothly transition into its successor took a step forward at the April 2013 ITS America Annual Meeting in April. Dr Hiroyuki Watanabe, organising committee chairman for the 2013 event in Tokyo met Jim Barbaresso, his counterpart for the 2014 follow-on in Detroit, Michigan to progress high-level cooperation. Barbaresso, vice president for ITS at engineering company HNTB and a former president of ITS Michigan, told ITS International there will be a common focus on lesson
    Read More
  • EasyMile partnership to bring autonomous technology to bus
    December 1, 2017
    EasyMile has partnered with Iveco, Sector, Transpolis, Isae-supaero, Ifsttar, Inria, and Michelin to integrate autonomous technology into a full-size 12-meter bus. The project has been funded by French government through a Fonds Unique Interministériel program as well as certified and supported by Cara, Aerospace Valley and Nouvelle France Industrielle. The 100-passenger capacity bus will either be hybrid or electric powered and draws on EasyMile’s experience of developing the EZ10 driverless shuttle in
    Read More
  • US Transportation Secretary to speak at TRB annual meeting
    January 5, 2017
    More than 13,000 people from about 70 countries, including policymakers, administrators, practitioners and researchers from government, industry, and academia, are expected to gather for the US Transportation Research Board (TRB) 96th Annual Meeting. The event will be held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC, from 8-12 January and will involve more than 5,000 presentations at over 800 sessions and workshops covering all transportation modes. Approximately 130 sessions will addr
    Read More
  • European Commission: tighter rules for safer/cleaner cars
    December 12, 2017
    The European Commission (EC), European Parliament and the Council have reached a political agreement on the commission proposal from January 2016 to raise the quality level and independence of type-approval and testing before a car is placed on the market. It would enable the EC to be able to initiate EU-wide recalls and impose penalties on manufacturers or technical services of up to €30,000 (£26,000) per non-compliant car.
    Read More

Highlighted Content