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Transportation Technology

Autonomous Vehicles
commentary
Bargain-Hunting Robocars Could Spell the End for Downtown Parking—Cities Need to Plan Ahead Now
Corey Harper, Constantine Samaras
Aug 29, 2019
The Conversation
Imagine a scene from the near-future: You get dropped off downtown by a driverless car. You slam the door and head into your office or appointment. But then where does the autonomous vehicle go? It's a question that cities would be wise to consider now. Self-driving cars may be on the roads within the next decade or two.
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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
AVs Could Improve Transportation Access in 'Transit Deserts'
Laura Fraade-Blanar
May 31, 2019
Axios
More large U.S. cities are seeing their outer reaches turn into transit deserts, where demand for transportation vastly exceeds supply. Connecting public transit systems with automated vehicles, whether in ride-sharing or shuttle services, could be a solution.
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Autonomous Vehicles
commentary
Why AV Safety and Cybersecurity Need to Be Pursued in Tandem
Marjory S. Blumenthal @marjorysb
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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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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United States
blog
State of the Union 2019: Insights from RAND
Feb 6, 2019
To shed light on a wide range of topics that figured in President Trump's second State of the Union address, we've rounded up insights from some of RAND's objective and nonpartisan research, analysis, and expertise.
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Transportation Safety
commentary
The New AV Challenge: Creating a Universal Safety Framework
Marjory S. Blumenthal @marjorysb
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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The Elderly
commentary
How AVs Could Provide Independence for Older Drivers
Laura Fraade-Blanar
Sep 21, 2018
Axios
Giving up driving has been linked to depression and isolation in older adults, as well as early entry into nursing home facilities. Autonomous vehicles could help improve the well-being of older adults by allowing them to maintain independence while still giving up their car keys.
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Emerging Technologies
commentary
A Better Way to Think About Scooters
Robert J. Lempert @RobertLempert, Tim McDonald, Andrew J. Lohn @andrewjlohn
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
commentary
What If Autonomous Vehicles Actually Make Us More Dependent on Cars?
Mark Kleinman, Charlene Rohr
Jun 19, 2018
The Conversation
Cities across Europe are taking steps to become increasingly car free. Mayors, supported by their officials and planners, should start leading a debate now about how self-driving vehicles can best serve the needs of residents and visitors, and help deliver wider goals for their cities.
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Emerging Technologies
article
Can Humans Survive a Faster Future?
May 1, 2018
Life is moving faster and faster. Just about everything—transportation, weapons, the flow of information—is accelerating. How will decisionmakers preserve our personal and national security in the face of hyperspeed?
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Cybersecurity
commentary
Ensuring Cybersecurity Is Vital for a Driverless Future
Erik Silfversten, Nathan Ryan
Feb 12, 2018
Public Technology
High-profile accidents involving autonomous vehicles (AVs) have led to recent discussions about the physical safety of people. However, it could be argued that consumers and manufacturers should be equally, if not more, concerned about the potential cybersecurity vulnerabilities in AVs.
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Autonomous Vehicles
commentary
Autonomous Vehicles: Terrorist Threat or Security Opportunity?
James Black
Jan 3, 2018
The Cipher Brief
Terrorist groups that track developments in technology could be considering using self-driving cars in place of suicide bombers or for ramming attacks. But autonomous vehicle capabilities offer a range of potential benefits to law enforcement and security operations, too.
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Autonomous Vehicles
commentary
Driverless Cars: The Race Is On for Policy to Catch Up
Charlene Rohr
Nov 27, 2017
The Huffington Post
Driverless cars could be tested on Britain’s roads by 2021. While this is likely to be great news to many, the race is now on for policymaking to catch up. Why? Because driverless cars could substantially change more than just the way people travel.
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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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Artificial Intelligence
commentary
AI's Promise and Risks
Marjory S. Blumenthal @marjorysb, Andrew Parasiliti, Ali Wyne @Ali_Wyne
Oct 24, 2017
TechCrunch
Artificial intelligence seems to be advancing faster than efforts to understand its potential consequences, good and bad. And discussions about AI often veer toward extremes. More balanced, rigorous analysis is needed to help shape policies that mitigate AI's risks and maximize its benefits.
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Autonomous Vehicles
commentary
What Autonomous Vehicles Could Mean for American Workers
Nidhi Kalra
Aug 29, 2017
The RAND Blog
Autonomous vehicles are projected to hit American roads within the next few years. They promise safer transportation, greater mobility for millions of Americans, and other benefits. But they will also have enormous impacts on the workforce.
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International Economic Relations
commentary
The Driving Force Behind China's Ambitious 'Belt and Road Initiative'
Rafiq Dossani
May 30, 2017
U.S. News & World Report
By committing trillions of dollars to infrastructure projects across 60 countries, China could transform the lagging economies of the region and place itself in the enviable position of being Asia's true pivot. But the new Silk Road blueprint presents risks as well as benefits.
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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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San Francisco
q&a
Innovation in the Bay Area: Q&A with Nidhi Kalra
Mar 7, 2017
Nidhi Kalra discusses what Silicon Valley startups and policy researchers have in common, whether test-driving autonomous vehicles could really prove their safety, and more.
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Autonomous Vehicles
q&a
Autonomous Vehicles: Imagining the Day-to-Day of the Future
Nov 14, 2016
At RAND's 2016 Politics Aside event, Nidhi Kalra and Timothy Bonds discuss what daily life might be like once autonomous vehicles populate the roads.
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Autonomous Vehicles
q&a
Driving to Safety: Autonomous Vehicle Questions, Answered
Nidhi Kalra, Susan M. Paddock
Oct 25, 2016
The RAND Blog
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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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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United States
blog
A Summer Reading List for Congress
Aug 2, 2016
To help Hill staffers make the most of the Congressional recess, RAND has developed a list of must-read research and commentaries that will help ensure policymakers will return ready to hit the ground running.
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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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Transportation Planning
commentary
Looking Out the Window to Transport in 2035
Charlene Rohr
Jun 27, 2016
The RAND Blog
The UK's roads, railways, and airports are some of the most congested in the world. Exploring future transport scenarios and the technologies that will drive them can help guide today's policy and investment decisions.
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Autonomous Vehicles
commentary
Why It's Nearly Impossible to Prove Self-Driving Cars' Safety Without a New Approach
Nidhi Kalra
May 12, 2016
Dallas Morning News
There are arguments to be made for permitting driverless cars in some capacity even if they are not quite as safe as human drivers, because doing so may enable developers to improve them faster, and thus save more lives overall.
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Autonomous Vehicles
commentary
The Police Could Be Controlling Your Self-Driving Car
Martin C. Libicki
Apr 4, 2016
MarketWatch
As self-driving cars become widespread, one of the biggest issues will be the rules under which public infrastructures and public safety officers may be empowered to override how autonomous vehicles are controlled.
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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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Emerging Technologies
essay
How Will Technology Change Criminal Justice?
Jan 7, 2016
In perhaps no other field does society have as direct a stake in getting technology right as in policing. How will technology change the work that law enforcement agencies do and the communities they serve?
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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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Transportation Economics
commentary
Pay as You Go
Liisa Ecola
Jul 22, 2015
Politico
Using vehicle miles traveled as a means of distributing the cost of maintaining America's roads and bridges may not be the only answer, but it represents the kind of innovative thinking that is necessary at a time when this sector of the American transportation infrastructure is desperately in need of a fix.
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Transportation Funding
commentary
How to Improve Oregon's Mileage-Fee Experiment
Liisa Ecola, Laura Patton
Jul 7, 2015
The Oregonian
Oregon is rolling out the nation's first large-scale pilot to examine switching to a mileage fee instead of the gas tax. The trial is a welcome next step toward understanding how mileage fees can be deployed.
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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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Autonomous Vehicles
essay
The Dream Drive
Jan 14, 2015
Autonomous vehicle technology is already here: Cars park themselves, alert drivers to impending dangers, and even apply the brakes in emergencies. But what will it take to unlock its potential for major societal benefits?
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Databases and Data Collection, Analysis, and Processing
commentary
License Plate Readers and Right to Privacy
Keith Gierlack
Jul 15, 2014
The Orange County Register
License plate reader technology can be a force multiplier for law enforcement. Its ability to identify license plates of interest to police in real-time makes it an effective tool but there is also potential for abuse. Law enforcement authorities should address credible privacy concerns.
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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 Planning
commentary
With Self-Driving Cars, Promise Outweighs Peril
James M. Anderson
Jan 29, 2014
The Detroit News
The promise of autonomous vehicles is finally near to being realized and the substantial benefits to society in terms of safety, mobility, and fuel economy cannot be ignored. It is not too early for policy makers to begin to think about the challenges that lie ahead.
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Gasoline
commentary
Paying for Infrastructure, a Taxing Issue
Liisa Ecola
May 16, 2013
The RAND Blog
If the user pays idea is worth saving, the United States needs a different calculation, writes Liisa Ecola. Some states are looking at mileage fees. With mileage fees, you pay based on the number of miles you drive, rather than the number of gallons of gas used.
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Transportation Economics
commentary
Consider Taxing Miles Traveled
Keith Crane
Apr 19, 2013
Wall Street Journal Online
Mileage-fee rates could be structured to reduce congestion, harmful emissions and excessive road wear, and the enabling technology could support a range of value-added services offering greater convenience and safety for motorists, writes Keith Crane.
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Infrastructure Finance
commentary
Getting Over the Privacy Hurdle to Mileage-Based Road Fees
Liisa Ecola
Jun 6, 2012
DC.STREETSBLOG.org
There is no need for privacy concerns to halt all discussion of new technologies to help address America's mounting transportation funding crisis, writes Liisa Ecola.
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Highway Transportation
commentary
A System Under Strain
Johanna Zmud
Sep 30, 2011
Innovation America, Aug/Sept 2011
Our transportation future will be multi-layered and complex—bounded by transportation infrastructure that is under-funded on the one hand and ever-expanding congestion and capacity constraints on the other, writes Johanna Zmud.
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Science and Technology
commentary
A Smarter Economic Stimulus Package
Martin Wachs
Jan 21, 2009
CNN
President Obama's infrastructure plan doesn’t yet carry a price tag. We only know that it will be big.... The trick is how it will be done. It will not be enough to simply rebuild and repair critical infrastructure systems. We need to reinvent the systems themselves, writes Martin Wachs.
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commentary
Green But Unsafe
John D. Graham
Apr 18, 2007
Wall Street Journal, Europe Edition
Published commentary by RAND staff: Green But Unsafe, in Wall Street Journal, Europe Edition.
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commentary
Paying for Our Transportation Needs
Martin Wachs
Oct 25, 2006
San Diego Union-Tribune
Published commentary by RAND staff: Paying for Our Transportation Needs, in the San Diego Union-Tribune.
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