摘要: |
The development of autonomous vehicle technology and potential adoption of autonomous vehicles is occurring at a rapid rate in the United States. As this technology evolves, there are many technical, logistical and legal issues that need to be addressed concerning the surface transportation system and policies. It is projected within the next five years fully autonomous vehicles will be available to the general public. Therefore, it is important that policy makers engage in active discussions to address the wide range of issues that autonomous vehicles will bring. The deployment of autonomous vehicles will result in a substantial shift in surface transportation priorities. Rules and regulations governing the use of this technology will need to be created or current regulations will need to be adapted to permit this technology, while preserving safety for the traveling public. The Northeast Autonomous Vehicle Summit provided an opportunity for the stakeholders to gather, learn, and discuss some of the issues that will need to be addressed as the technology is deployed. The resulting workshop provided an opportunity to document current perception and policy surrounding autonomous vehicle technology. The resulting action plans that were developed as part of this summit can be used to track and document progress, as well as an indicator of what the northeast states perceive as the most pressing issues for adoption of this technology. The overarching theme that emerged from this summit was that policy changes are needed to protect the public but should not discourage innovation and adoption. |