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Autonomous Vehicles

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Commentary

Ensuring Cybersecurity Is Vital for a Driverless Future

Feb 12, 2018

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.
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.

Explore Autonomous Vehicles

Report

Could U.S. Road Deaths Reach Zero by 2050?

Motor vehicle crashes kill more than 100 Americans every day and are the leading cause of death for people age 15 to 24. A strategy that includes changes in policy, technology, and social norms could substantially improve road safety and lead to zero roadway deaths by 2050.

Apr 19, 2018
Report

Report

The Road to Zero: Executive Summary: A Vision for Achieving Zero Roadway Deaths by 2050

Imagine that, in 2050, not a single person in the United States dies in a traffic crash. This executive summary to The Road to Zero: A Vision for Achieving Zero Roadway Deaths by 2050 describes how that might be possible.

Apr 19, 2018
Journal Article

Journal Article

A Common EU Approach to Liability Rules and Insurance for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles: European Added Value Assessment Accompanying the European Parliament's Legislative Own-Initiative Report

The findings of this European added value assessment (EAVA) suggest that it is necessary to revise the current legislative EU framework for liability rules and insurance for connected and autonomous vehicles.

Mar 28, 2018
Multimedia

Safety in a World of Driverless Cars

In this Call with the Experts, senior information scientist Nidhi Kalra discusses a RAND study that shows putting driverless cars on the road before they're nearly perfect could save lives, and also describes new approaches for safety standards.

Feb 15, 2018
Commentary

Autonomous Vehicles: Terrorist Threat or Security Opportunity?

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.

Jan 3, 2018
Commentary

Driverless Cars: The Race Is On for Policy to Catch Up

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.

Nov 27, 2017
Multimedia

How Safe Should Autonomous Vehicles Be Before They're Introduced to Market?

RAND researchers Nidhi Kalra and David G. Groves developed a model to compare 500 different scenarios of autonomous vehicle introduction, adoption, and improvement. The research shows that putting autonomous vehicles on the road sooner, allowing them to improve quicker, could save hundreds of thousands of lives over time.

Nov 7, 2017
News Release

News Release

Introducing Autonomous Vehicles Sooner Could Save Hundreds of Thousands of Lives Over Time

Autonomous vehicles should only have to be moderately better than human drivers before being widely used in the United States, an approach that could save thousands of lives annually even before the technology is perfected.

Nov 7, 2017
Tool

Enemy of Good: Autonomous Vehicle Safety Scenario Explorer

How safe should highly automated vehicles (HAVs) be before they are allowed on the roads for consumer use? This tool lets users develop their own future scenarios and estimates the resulting fatalities against a future without AVs.

Nov 7, 2017
Report

Deploying Autonomous Vehicles Before They're Perfect Will Save More Lives

Autonomous vehicles should only have to be moderately better than human drivers before being widely used in the United States. This approach could save thousands of lives annually even before the technology is perfected.

Nov 7, 2017
Report

RAND Model of Automated Vehicle Safety (MAVS): Model Documentation

This report describes a simple model of how factors shaping the diffusion and performance of highly automated vehicles may interact and result in different safety outcomes over time.

Nov 7, 2017
Commentary

AI's Promise and Risks

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.

Oct 24, 2017
Report

How Should Autonomous Vehicles Be Regulated?

Autonomous vehicles could greatly reduce the risk of crashes. But the safety benefits are not yet proven and may not be known until AVs are widespread. What kind of regulatory approach could help balance innovation, risk, and uncertainty?

Sep 18, 2017
Journal Article

Journal Article

Advancing Automated and Connected Vehicles: Policy and Planning Strategies for State and Local Transportation Agencies

This report assesses policy and planning strategies at the state, regional, and local levels that could influence private-sector AV and CV choices to positively affect societal goals.

Sep 14, 2017
Commentary

What Autonomous Vehicles Could Mean for American Workers

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.

Aug 29, 2017
Testimony

How to Realize Autonomous Vehicle Safety and Mobility Benefits

Self-driving vehicles could improve public safety. They could also improve mobility for older Americans, people with disabilities, and others. How can policymakers help ensure that these benefits are realized?

May 18, 2017
Commentary

How California Is Trying to Keep Autonomous Vehicle Development on Track

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?

Apr 10, 2017
Content

RAND in the San Francisco Bay Area

RAND opened its San Francisco Bay Area location to serve as a research hub at the intersection of technological change, innovation, and public policy at all levels. Nidhi Kalra, a senior information scientist, is leading the office.

Apr 3, 2017

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RAND Topic:
Autonomous Vehicles