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Transportation Safety

Surface Transportation
commentary
Micromobility: How Will We Know When It's Working?
Liisa Ecola, Laura Fraade-Blanar
May 18, 2021
The RAND Blog
Micromobility was positioned as a solution for every urban problem from traffic congestion to air pollution to transit deserts and inequality. Is there a way to know if micromobility can fulfill these ambitious goals?
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Autonomous Vehicles
commentary
How State and Local Governments Might Consider Approaching Operational Design Domains for Automated Vehicles
Laura Fraade-Blanar, Maynard A. Holliday
Aug 20, 2020
The RAND Blog
An operational design domain (ODD) is a description of the conditions in which an autonomous vehicle is designed to operate safely. No nationwide ODD policy exists, but because ODD is partly about the characteristics of a specific location, state and local policies could be useful.
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Autonomous Vehicles
blog
When Driverless Cars Were a Remote Idea
Nov 1, 2019
Researchers at RAND have been working on the technology behind driverless vehicles for over 50 years. From 1968 to the present, studies have involved remote-controlled drones, military land vehicles, autonomous submarines, and the safety and liability issues of self-driving cars.
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blog
Road Safety, Venezuela, Mental Health: RAND Weekly Recap
Jun 28, 2019
This weekly recap focuses on how to end U.S. roadway deaths by 2050, Washington's strategy in Venezuela, a mental health social marketing campaign, and more.
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Transportation Safety
essay
How to End U.S. Roadway Deaths by 2050
Jun 24, 2019
Tens of thousands of people die on American roads every year. Bringing that number down to zero by 2050 is possible. We would have to change how we think about road safety, stop accepting car crashes as accidents, and make smart investments in technology.
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Autonomous Vehicles
commentary
Why AV Safety and Cybersecurity Need to Be Pursued in Tandem
Marjory S. Blumenthal
Mar 20, 2019
Axios
Safety and cybersecurity are generally pursued by separate teams within autonomous vehicle companies. A joint approach to standards could optimize safety and cybersecurity and reduce overall risks to autonomous vehicle operation.
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Workforce Development
blog
State of the Union, OxyContin, Appalachia: RAND Weekly Recap
Feb 8, 2019
This weekly recap focuses on insights from RAND after the State of the Union, public-health impacts of reformulating OxyContin, STEM jobs in Appalachia, and more.
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Transportation Safety
commentary
How to Make Roads Safer for Autonomous Vehicles
Laura Fraade-Blanar
Feb 6, 2019
Axios
Roadways and vehicle design could be modified to better accommodate both human error and the shortcomings of autonomous vehicle systems.
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Veterans Health Care
blog
Veterans, Infrastructure, Middle East: RAND Weekly Recap
Nov 9, 2018
This weekly recap focuses on the challenges facing veterans and their loved ones, a chance for bipartisan infrastructure policy, realignment in the Middle East, and more.
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Transportation Safety
commentary
The New AV Challenge: Creating a Universal Safety Framework
Marjory S. Blumenthal
Nov 2, 2018
Axios
Autonomous vehicle developers are pursuing different safety strategies and technologies, making different claims, in different ways, about their systems. A universal framework could provide a more consistent and transparent view of progress in AV safety within and across the industry, better informing the public and policymakers.
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Emerging Technologies
commentary
A Better Way to Think About Scooters
Robert J. Lempert @RobertLempert, Tim McDonald, Andrew J. Lohn
Aug 28, 2018
Los Angeles Times
Unleashed in Santa Monica, California, last September, Bird and its competitors are now in 30 American cities and counting. Cities are responding to the scooter takeover with new regulations and increased law enforcement. But if officials rely only on 20th-century tools to integrate these 21st-century scooters into their cities, they will miss a big opportunity.
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Autonomous Vehicles
article
Why Waiting for Perfect Autonomous Vehicles May Cost Lives
Nov 7, 2017
Some people think autonomous vehicles must be flawless before humans take their hands off the wheel. But putting AVs on the road before they're perfect improves the technology more quickly—and could save hundreds of thousands of lives over time.
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Autonomous Vehicles
commentary
How California Is Trying to Keep Autonomous Vehicle Development on Track
Nidhi Kalra
Apr 10, 2017
TechCrunch
California's Department of Motor Vehicles recently proposed new regulations governing the testing and deployment of autonomous vehicles. Will this help retain the state's status as a testing and deployment ground for the technology, and will it make California safer?
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Autonomous Vehicles
q&a
Driving to Safety: Autonomous Vehicle Questions, Answered
Nidhi Kalra, Susan M. Paddock
Oct 25, 2016
A recent RAND report found that test-driving autonomous vehicles is not a feasible way to determine when they will be safe enough for consumer use. This resulted in a lot of questions.
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Arctic Region
commentary
Being Safer in the Arctic
Abbie Tingstad, Timothy William James Smith
Oct 3, 2016
The National Interest
The Arctic is more accessible than it once was, but it's still a formidable place to travel. An emergency involving a cruise ship or a downed plane could stress the search-and-rescue system. But modest investments and planning measures can make a big difference.
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Autonomous Vehicles
commentary
The Brains Behind Autonomous Vehicles May Need a License to Drive
Isaac R. Porche III
Sep 27, 2016
VentureBeat
Autonomous vehicles require exquisite software. To make this software secure, industry and government should consider educational standards and licensure requirements for the engineers who create it.
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Autonomous Vehicles
commentary
When Will We Know Self-Driving Cars Are Safe?
Nidhi Kalra
Sep 25, 2016
Newsweek
Will autonomous vehicles be safe before they are allowed on the road for consumer use? Maybe. And that might be the best that can be said.
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Autonomous Vehicles
commentary
Tesla Fatal Crash Reminds That Human Interface Remains Important
Shawn McKay
Jul 30, 2016
The Mercury News
The first reported fatality in a self-driving vehicle is a chilling reminder that the evolving relationship with increasingly robotic motor vehicles needs to be a partnership, an undertaking with humans and machines managing the risks.
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Autonomous Vehicles
commentary
Fatal Crash Shouldn't Kill Self-Driving Cars
Nidhi Kalra
Jul 16, 2016
USA Today
The first known fatality in an autonomous vehicle occurred on May 7 and raises important questions. It does not, however, mean that self-driving cars are less safe than human drivers or that development of the technology should be stopped.
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Alcohol
commentary
Should Some Californians Lose Their 'License to Drink'?
Beau Kilmer @BeauKilmer
Jul 6, 2016
San Diego Union-Tribune
In California, many efforts to reduce repeat drunken driving focus on the driving. What if the state targeted the 'drunk' aspect instead?
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Transportation Safety
commentary
The Response to Every Terrorist Attack Cannot Be Another Checkpoint
Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins
Jul 1, 2016
The Hill
The Istanbul attack will renew calls to extend existing security screening at the front doors of terminals. But checkpoints create bottlenecks and queues of people waiting to get through them, which then become an easy target.
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Crime
commentary
The True Cost of Dimming Street Lights
Matthew Davies
Jun 16, 2016
LocalGov.co.uk
Local authorities across the UK have considered reducing street lighting to save money. What impact might this have on crime, night-time traffic collisions, and other outcomes?
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Marijuana
commentary
If California Legalizes Marijuana, Consumption Will Likely Increase. But Is That a Bad Thing?
Beau Kilmer @BeauKilmer
May 16, 2016
Los Angeles Times
Legalizing and allowing profit-maximizing firms to produce, sell, and advertise recreational marijuana would likely increase marijuana consumption. But how would this increased consumption influence the use of other substances?
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Health Interventions
commentary
A New Tool to Assess the Costs and Effectiveness of Traffic Crash Interventions
Liisa Ecola, Jeanne S. Ringel @JeanneRingel
Apr 4, 2016
ITE Journal
Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death in the U.S. An online tool can help policymakers understand the available evidence-based interventions that can help prevent crash injuries and deaths, what they will cost, and how effective they will be in their state.
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Autonomous Vehicles
commentary
With Driverless Cars, How Safe Is Safe Enough?
Nidhi Kalra
Feb 1, 2016
USA Today
Waiting for autonomous vehicles to operate perfectly misses opportunities to save lives by keeping far-from-perfect human drivers behind the wheel.
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Transportation Technology
commentary
When Public Trust in Corporations Is Shaken
Douglas Yeung @DouglasCYeung
Oct 28, 2015
U.S. News & World Report
The Volkswagen scandal comes at a time when the public's trust in both the automotive industry and tech companies is at risk. The level of public trust in an individual organization could end up burnishing — or infecting — an entire industry or new technology.
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Emerging Technologies
commentary
How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Internet of Things
Martin C. Libicki
Aug 4, 2015
The RAND Blog
Late last month, Fiat Chrysler recalled 1.4 million cars to fix a defect that allowed hackers to imperil drivers from afar. In essence, what was considered a huge threat was converted into a solved or at least solvable problem.
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Autonomous Vehicles
commentary
To Hit the Road, Driverless Cars Must Be Safe, Not Perfect
Nidhi Kalra
Jan 29, 2015
New York Times
Once driverless cars are safer than the average human driver, they should be allowed to hit the road. Indeed, waiting for autonomous vehicles to be perfect would be its own safety concern because it would mean the needless perpetuation of the risks posed by human drivers.
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Transportation Safety
commentary
What if Distracted Driving Was Safe?
James M. Anderson
Jul 1, 2014
The RAND Blog
According to consumer research, the ability to consume media, write an email, or even sleep during transport is a key selling point for autonomous vehicles (self-driving cars), which could be widely available in the fairly near future. Autonomous vehicle technology could also produce a wide range of public benefits.
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Transportation Security
commentary
Sounding the Car Alarm on Hackers
Isaac R. Porche III, Timothy M. Bonds
Jun 30, 2014
The San Francisco Chronicle
Security protections on vehicles have not kept pace with systems that control safety features, navigation capabilities, and wireless communication functions. Onboard computer networks will likely become much more attractive to hackers, whether their aim is to steal a car, eavesdrop on a conversation, stalk a potential victim, or cause a devastating traffic accident.
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Transportation Safety
commentary
Death Is Never Far When You Are at Sea
Anthony L. Russell
May 12, 2014
USA Today
The U.S. marine safety record is impressive, arguably the best in the world. Yet, as the heartbreaking example of the Sewol demonstrates, the United States must never become complacent.
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Sleep
commentary
Deadly Aftermath of 'Microsleep'
Wendy M. Troxel @wendytroxel
Dec 12, 2013
Newsday
Though “microsleep,” commonly referred to as “highway hypnosis,” may enter the public discourse most often when it's cited as the possible cause of a disaster like the Metro-North train wreck, it is responsible for fatal accidents on American highways every day.
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School Services
commentary
America's Great Yellow School Buses
Shelly Culbertson @SC_Culbertson
Sep 9, 2013
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
One of the things taken for granted in the United States is the vast network of school buses—about 26 million children ride 480,000 buses every day. But in other parts of the world, getting millions of children to and from the right school, on time, safely, and for a reasonable cost is a significant challenge.
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Traffic Accidents
commentary
A Risk to Themselves
David S. Loughran
Oct 20, 2010
New York Times
Drivers 65 and older are only 16 percent more likely per mile driven to cause a traffic accident than are drivers ages 25–64. And their total contribution to the nation's traffic accidents is surprisingly small, writes David S. Loughran.
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Quoted

As shown in Afghanistan, the United States faces a tradeoff between incorporating allied views into U.S. decisions and compromising allies' support for U.S. policy. If the United States is serious about strengthening alliances and burden-sharing, this may require finding ways to better incorporate allied concerns into U.S. decisionmaking.
Andrew Radin

Political Scientist
Source: War on the Rocks
The nuclear weapons the United States already has should be adequate to counter the threat posed by new Chinese missiles even under very pessimistic assumptions. And if U.S. officials eventually decide they have to target the Chinese silos, nonnuclear weapons and sensors would provide a more credible deterrent than building additional nuclear weapons would.
Edward Geist

Policy Researcher
Source: The Washington Post