Fully autonomous vehicles — cars and trucks that can drive themselves, without a human at the controls — are coming soon. In fact, they already are on the road. Google’s test cars have logged two million miles, though with a driver at the wheel to take over if needed. Fifteen companies are testing autonomous vehicles in California as of October 2016. In August 2016, Uber began offering autonomous vehicle rides in Pittsburgh, again with a backup driver. Tesla has sold tens of thousands of cars with a driver assistance feature misleadingly called Autopilot. An autonomous vehicle that can be driven by a quadriplegic is being tested. Autonomous vehicles likely will be available for sale across the country in a very few years and will make up a substantial portion of the vehicle fleet in the foreseeable future. Most vehicles on the road today already have some autonomous features such as cruise control and electronic stability control. Autonomous vehicles will change our lives in many ways. Drivers can use their time in a car to use the Internet, read, work, eat, or sleep. Autonomous vehicles can provide transportation for those who cannot drive themselves. An autonomous car can take someone to work and then return home by itself to take children to school. In urban areas, if an autonomous car can be summoned when wanted, there will be little need for some individuals to own a car. Congestion should decrease; far less parking should be needed; land use patterns likely would change. But all vehicles on the road will not be autonomous for a very long time, perhaps never. Until then, autonomous vehicles must share the road with vehicles driven by humans. How can this be done safely? States are responsible for safety on the roads — for licensing drivers, registering vehicles, and establishing and enforcing traffic laws. So states must take the lead in dealing with the many traffic safety issues that a mix of driver-operated and autonomous vehicles will bring. In particular, states should help educate the public about the benefits that autonomous vehicles will bring and the risks that they may present, educate drivers of semi-autonomous vehicles about their driving responsibilities, and educate all drivers about how to share the road safely with autonomous vehicles. This report should help states understand and address these issues. It’s written for state Departments of Transportation (DOTs), Departments of Motor Vehicles (DMVs), and State Highway Safety Offices (SHSOs). It begins with background information: a description of the various levels of autonomous vehicles, a summary of what’s on the road now and what’s coming soon, results from surveys of public knowledge and attitudes regarding autonomous vehicles, and projections of autonomous vehicle sales and use. Next, it describes the key topics that states must address to manage traffic safety in a world with both driver-operated and autonomous vehicles. The report then summarizes what some states already have done to address autonomous vehicles. Finally, the report suggests what all states can and should do to prepare for autonomous vehicles and to assure that traffic safety is at the forefront of all autonomous vehicle discussions. There is extensive information on autonomous vehicles in scientific journals and in the popular media, with something new appearing almost daily. This report captures the most important points for states and provides references for more information. It concentrates on traffic safety issues, especially the issues when driver-operated and autonomous vehicles share the road. It does not discuss in any detail many other issues raised by autonomous vehicles such as insurance and liability, infrastructure changes, and autonomous vehicle technology, communications, and security. (Author/publisher)
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