Transportation Department seeks public comment on policy update for automated vehicles

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The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) issued calls Wednesday for transportation industry stakeholders to submit public comments regarding continued efforts to create federal policy that safely integrates automated vehicles into all segments of surface transportation systems.

Transportation Secretary Elaine Chow provided an update at the International Consumer Electronics Conference (CES) on progress being made on the Federal Automated Vehicle Policy (FAVP) 3.0 policy update.

“Autonomous vehicle technologies will have a tremendous impact on society in terms of safety, mobility, and security,” Chao said.

USDOT published notices for public comment on automated vehicles on its website and in the Federal Register. Specifically, comments are sought on the Automated Transit Buses Research Program, barriers to transit bus automation and barriers for automated vehicles, with a focus on those not equipped with controls for human drivers.

“Policymakers need to preserve the creativity and innovation that is part of the American tradition and allow innovation to flourish,” Chao said. “…Getting input from the public will help identify which departmental regulations need to be updated and changed to encourage innovation.”

FAVP 3.0 strives to foster a unified policy approach to automated vehicles that covers cars, trucks, light rail, infrastructure, and port operations.