The White House and the U.S. DOT today released ‘Ensuring American Leadership in Automated Vehicle Technologies: Automated Vehicles 4.0’ (AV 4.0).
The initiative was announced by Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao in a keynote speech at CES in Las Vegas. AV 4.0 unifies efforts in automated vehicles across 38 federal departments, independent agencies, commissions, and executive offices of the president, and is designed to provide high-level guidance to state and local governments, innovators, and all stakeholders on the U.S. government’s approach towards AVs.
“AV 4.0 will ensure American leadership in AV technology development and integration by providing unified guidance for the first time across the federal government for innovators and stakeholders,” Secretary Chao said in a statement.
AV 4.0 establishes federal principles for the development and integration of automated vehicles, consisting of three core focus areas: prioritize safety and security, promote innovation, and ensure a consistent regulatory approach. It also outlines ongoing administration efforts supporting AV technology growth and leadership, as well as opportunities for collaboration including federal investments in the AV sector and resources for innovators, researchers, and the public.
U.S. DOT is actively preparing for emerging technologies by engaging with new technologies to address legitimate public concerns about safety, security, and privacy without hampering innovation. With the release of Automated Driving Systems 2.0: A Vision for Safety (ADS 2.0) in September 2017, the the agency provided voluntary guidance to industry, as well as technical assistance and best practices to states, offering a path forward for the safe testing and integration of Automated Driving Systems. In October 2018, Preparing for the Future of Transportation: Automated Vehicles 3.0 (AV 3.0) introduced guiding principles for AV innovation for all surface transportation modes, and described the U.S. DOT’s strategy to address existing barriers to potential safety benefits and progress.
AV 4.0 builds on these efforts by presenting a unifying posture to inform collaborative efforts in automated vehicles for all stakeholders. It will be published in the Federal Register for public review and comment.
------
SOURCE: U.S. DOT
