The Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) released Wednesday a new report focusing upon the coexistence of autonomous vehicles (AVs) and human-driven transportation.
Officials said the State Farm Insurance-funded effort analyzed market trends and determined most AVs for the foreseeable future will share driving responsibility with humans, which will continue to result in crashes, injuries, and fatalities involving AVs.
“Imperfect human drivers aren’t disappearing anytime soon, and even with self-driving technology, they will still be in a position to cause crashes, deaths, and injuries on our roads,” Jonathan Adkins, GHSA executive director, said. “As autonomous vehicle technology advances, states still must invest in programs to prioritize safe travel behavior.”
Report recommendations include considering laws requiring or assuming a licensed driver is present in each vehicle, updating traffic laws to accommodate AVs and help to prepare state driver licensing agencies to identify and register AVs; and establishing law enforcement policies and procedures regarding AV operations while training all patrol officers in the policies and procedures.
“Many people are unconvinced of the safety benefits of AVs and unwilling to share the road or to ride in them,” Ryan Gammelgard, counsel at State Farm, said. “However, research suggests that public enthusiasm and support will grow as people learn more about AVs and are able to experience them first-hand if there is objective proof that the technology operates better than humans.”