The U.S. Department of Transportation announced Monday that nine companies and eight states will participate in the department’s initiative to improve automated driving systems’ safety and testing transparency.
The Automated Vehicle Transparency and Engagement for Safe Testing (AV TEST) Initiative will include a series of public events nationwide to improve transparency and safety in automated driving system development and testing.
Participating in the initiative are companies Beep, Cruise, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Local Motors, Navya, Nuro, Toyota, Uber, and Waymo. States participating in the initiative are California, Florida, Maryland, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Utah.
“Through this initiative, the Department is creating a formal platform for Federal, State, and local government to coordinate and share information in a standard way,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao.
As part of the initiative, participants share information about their activities, which the US DOT said will help increase the public’s awareness about testing, centralize the DOT’s role in promoting safety and innovation and build stronger relationships between the federal, state and local governments and industry stakeholders.
The initiative will also provide the public with an online platform to see where testing activities are located. Other information shared may include dates, frequency, vehicle counts, and routes.
The AV Test will be open to stakeholders in the automated driving system industry, including state and local departments of motor vehicles, departments of transportation, highway safety offices, and city governments, as well as those within the automotive industry.