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1 [1] (May 23, 2017)

handle is hein.crs/govcfxp0001 and id is 1 raw text is: 01;0i E.$~ & May 23, 2017 Autonomous Vehicles: Emerging Policy Issues The advent of autonomous vehicles is often discussed in the context of safety. While many new technologies already are making vehicles safer, auto manufacturers view them as building blocks to vehicles that can travel and park themselves without a driver's intervention. Autonomous vehicles (AVs) may transform expectations of mobility by raising new possibilities for millions of people, including the disabled, elderly, youth, and people who do not own a car. In addition to broadening the population served, AVs could bring lower accident rates and make travel more efficient than traditional motor vehicles. How quickly AVs will evolve will ultimately depend on the choices federal, state, and local governments make to encourage their use and application. Ve'ide Ako ato, .cceArazaas Many new technologies, whether mandated by federal regulators or developed by automakers, have translated incrementally into safer motor vehicles. The introduction of new vehicle technologies has accelerated in the past decade, moving toward much more vehicle automation and a long- term goal of a fully autonomous vehicle. Congress and federal regulators are considering how to encourage such advancements. They generally recognize that the traditional regulatory process is long and could adversely affect innovation and the introduction of these technologies. A range of advanced driver assistance systems is being introduced to motor vehicles, many of them bringing automation to vehicular functions once performed only by the driver. These features automate lighting and braking, connect the car and driver to the Global Positioning System (GPS) and smartphones, and keep the vehicle in the correct lane. Mary Barra, chairman and CEO of General Motors, has observed that the auto industry will change more in the next five to 10 years than it has in the last 50. There are three forces driving motor vehicle innovation: * technological advances enabled by new materials and more powerful, compact electronics; * consumer demand for telecommunications connectivity and new types of vehicle ownership and ridesharing; and * regulatory mandates pertaining to emissions, fuel efficiency, and safety. Increasingly, such innovations are being combined as manufacturers produce vehicles with higher levels of automation. Vehicles do not fall neatly into two categories of automated and nonautomated, because all of today's motor vehicles have some element of automation. The Society of Automotive Engineers International (SAE), an international standards-setting organization, has developed six categories of vehicle automation-ranging from a human driver doing everything to automated systems performing all the tasks a driver does. This classification system has been adopted by the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) to foster standardized nomenclature to aid clarity and consistency in discussions about growing vehicle automation and safety. All vehicles sold today are in the lowest two tiers of SAE's automation rating system. Views differ as to how long it may take for full automation to become standard, with some forecasting market-ready AVs in five years. Others argue that it will take much longer, as more testing, regulation, and policy work should be done before AVs are widely deployed. Technologies that could guide an AV (Figure 1) include a wide variety of electronic sensors that would determine the distance between the vehicle and obstacles; detect lane markings, pedestrians, and bicycles; park the vehicle; GPS, Inertial Navigation System, and a system of built-in maps to guide the vehicle direction and location; cameras that provide 360-degree views around the vehicle; and Dedicated Short-Range Communication (DSRC) to monitor road conditions, congestion, crashes, and possible rerouting. These technologies are being adapted separately, while manufacturers learn how to combine them in vehicles that could safely transport passengers without drivers. Figure I. Autonomous Vehicle Technologies iLight Detetion a nd Prebuilt Maps Infrared Dedicated Short-Range Inertiangtin Sensors Eornyrwniation (DSRC) Source: CRS, based on Autonomous Vehicles' fact sheet, Center for Sustainable Systems University of Michigan. Educating the public about AVs appears to be a major element in determining their eventual success. A 2015 Boston Consulting Group survey found that less than half of respondents would buy a fully autonomous vehicle, but 55% are interested in a partially autonomous vehicle; .O 'T gogn, q goo g , q aS ' X 11L1\L\N,\1kJ\W,

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