Expert Panel to Issue Safety Recommendations for Autonomous Vehicles
"Autonomous vehicles and burgeoning safety technologies hold tremendous potential for saving lives on our roads, but public understanding of what these vehicles are – and aren't – capable of is paramount toward achieving these benefits," said Jonathan Adkins, GHSA's executive director.
The Governors Highway Safety Association, through the support of State Farm®, will convene a panel of experts May 8 in Arlington, Va., to consider the issues surrounding the use of autonomous vehicles and will provide recommendations for state highway safety agencies, law enforcement, and other safety advocates. GHSA announced that the panel represents a wide spectrum of national experts from the federal government, the automotive and technology industries, criminal justice organizations, national safety groups, and GHSA's State Highway Safety Office members.
"Autonomous vehicles and burgeoning safety technologies hold tremendous potential for saving lives on our roads, but public understanding of what these vehicles are – and aren't – capable of is paramount toward achieving these benefits," said Jonathan Adkins, GHSA's executive director.
The association noted that law enforcement, prosecutors, and judges are the "boots on the ground" for enforcing traffic laws, responding to traffic crashes, and adjudicating traffic offenses, so they need to know what to expect as autonomous technologies take to the roads and how to navigate the adjudication process when laws are broken and crashes occur.
GHSA reported that this project unites automated vehicle thought leaders to consider these education and enforcement challenges and present recommendations that states can use as they adapt their behavioral traffic safety programs to reflect the changing technology landscape on the roads. The effort builds on GHSA's 2018 report, "Preparing for Automated Vehicles: Traffic Safety Issues for States."
After the May 8 meeting, GHSA will develop a white paper to inform its members and other traffic safety stakeholders of the outcomes of the expert panel. Recommendations will be presented at GHSA's 2019 Annual Meeting in Anaheim, Calif., Aug. 24-28.