In the fall of 1993, the Federal Highway Administration (FHW A) awarded a series of contracts under their Automated Highway Systems (AHS) Precursor Systems Analyses (PSA) program. The contracts, which totalled $14.1 million, were awarded to 15 separate teams of researchers and were completed in late 1994. The purpose of these contracts was to study the major issues and risks associated with automated vehicle control on our Nation's highways. The AHS PSA studies were part of the initial phase of a broad Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) AHS program. The results of these studies indicated that although there are a number of challenges to be faced, there are no major "show stoppers" to the implementation of AHS. This report is a summary and assessment of the major findings from the vast pool of knowledge gained from the PSA studies. The findings are organized in the following major categories: system-related, transition-oriented, vehicle-related, roadway-related, institutional and societal, and benefits and costs. In addition, the appendices contain summary reports from the two largest PSA contractors, a summary of findings from the PSA interim workshop, and description of an electronic database of major PSA results. (Author/publisher)
Samenvatting