US DoT seeks voluntary AV standards

US authorities have signalled that voluntary – rather than compulsory – standards will be the way forward to integrate automated vehicles (AVs) into the country’s transport system. The US Department of Transportation (USDOT) has issued new AV guidance but warns that the new document - Preparing for the Future of Transportation: Automated Vehicles 3.0 (AV 3.0) - does not replace the voluntary guidance it provided in Automated Driving Systems 2.0: A Vision for Safety. “The safe integration of automated
October 11, 2018 Read time: 2 mins
US authorities have signalled that voluntary – rather than compulsory – standards will be the way forward to integrate automated vehicles (AVs) into the country’s transport system.


The 324 US Department of Transportation (USDOT) has issued new AV guidance but warns that the new document - Preparing for the Future of Transportation: Automated Vehicles 3.0 (AV 3.0) - does not replace the voluntary guidance it provided in Automated Driving Systems 2.0: A Vision for Safety.

“The safe integration of automated vehicle technology into our transportation system will increase productivity, facilitate freight movement and create new types of jobs,” says US transportation secretary Elaine L. Chao.

AV 3.0 is concerned with “identifying and supporting the development of automation-related voluntary standards developed through organisations and associations, which can be an effective non-regulatory means to advance the integration of automation technologies”.

It also says the USDoT will “interpret and, consistent with all applicable notice and comment requirements, adapt the definitions of ‘driver’ or ‘operator’ as appropriate to recognise that such terms do not refer exclusively to a human, but may include an automated system”.

The guidance also states that the DoT is “continuing its work to preserve the ability for transportation safety applications to function in the 5.9 GHz spectrum”.

The DoT says that the document incorporates the results of “extensive stakeholder engagement” with manufacturers, technology developers, infrastructure owners and operators, bus transit, and state and local governments.

The draft guidance is to be published in the Federal Register for public review and comment.

Related Content

  • March 24, 2015
    Taking the long view of ITS
    Caroline Visser believes the ITS industry must present a coherent case for consideration of the technology to become part of transport policy and planning. As ITS advisor and road finance director for the International Road Federation (IRF) in Geneva, Caroline Visser is well placed to evaluate quantifying the benefits of ITS implementation – a topic about which there is little agreement and even less consistency. She is pressing to get some consistency in the evaluation of ITS deployments through the use of
    Read More
  • January 25, 2016
    USDOT sponsors new connected vehicle webinars
    The US Department of Transportation (USDOT) is sponsoring three webinars to assist the Connected Vehicle Pilot sites, early installers and other interested stakeholders, as part of the Connected Vehicle Pilot Deployment Program Technical Assistance Webinar series, which began last month. The Connected Vehicle Pilot Deployment Program seeks to combine connected vehicle and mobile device technologies in innovative and cost-effective ways. Ultimately, this program will improve traveller mobility and syste
    Read More
  • April 20, 2017
    Increased automation is already improving road safety
    Richard Cuerden considers how many of the technologies developed as part of a move toward autonomous vehicles are already being deployed as ADAS improve road safety. The drive to create autonomous vehicles has caused a re-evaluation of what is needed to safely navigate today’s roads and the development of systems that can replace the driver in many scenarios. However, many manufacturers are not waiting for ‘tomorrow’ and are already incorporating these systems in their new cars as Advanced Driver Assistanc
    Read More
  • February 16, 2022
    TRL publishes C/AV roadmap for 2035
    Document themes cover industry, vehicle and technology and infrastructure
    Read More

Highlighted Content