The Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) recently announced it is now issuing permits for the testing of connected and automated vehicle (CAV) technologies.
The first permit was issued to STEER Tech, a Howard County company, in July 2017. The testing allows STEER to test in an MDOT Maryland Transit Administration parking lot and an MDOT State Highway Administration Park and Ride lot.
The company has been testing since July and is now also permitted to test at the Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport Parking Garage
“MDOT is working together from a multi-modal transportation perspective to test CAV technology,” MDOT MVA Administrator Christine Nizer said. “It is estimated that 94 percent of serious vehicle crashes involve human error, which is why it is so important to research and test the various safety benefits CAVs offer to prevent fatalities and injuries on our roadways.”
CAV technology has several advantages including fewer vehicle crashes, reduction in commute times, greater mobility service options, reduced greenhouse emissions and a more efficient movement of freight.
In 2015, the state organized a Statewide Working Group to create the permit process.
Applicants must complete an Expression of Interest form online. Eight companies so far have filled out the form.