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Autonomous Vehicles

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  • A fleet of Uber's Ford Fusion self-driving cars are shown during a demonstration in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, September 13, 2016, photo by Aaron Josefczyk/Reuters

    Commentary

    Driving to Safety: Autonomous Vehicle Questions, Answered

    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.

  • The computer screen in an autonomous prototype Continental Chrysler 300C sedan at an event featuring numerous self-driving cars on Capitol Hill, March 15, 2016, photo by Gary Cameron/Reuters

    Report

    Test-Driving Alone Cannot Demonstrate the Safety of Autonomous Vehicles

    Apr 12, 2016

    In order to advance autonomous vehicles into daily use, alternative testing methods must be developed to supplement on-the-road testing. Alternative methods might include accelerated testing, virtual testing and simulators, mathematical modeling, scenario testing, and pilot studies.

Explore Autonomous Vehicles

  • A Nissan employee rides in a self-driving Nissan Leaf during a preview of autonomous vehicles in Sunnyvale, California, January 7, 2016

    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

  • An autonomous version of Acura's RLX Sport Hybrid SH-AWD navigates around a dummy at carmaker Honda's testing grounds at the GoMentum Station autonomous vehicle test facility in Concord, California June 1, 2016

    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

  • View of San Francisco and across the bay

    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

  • Periodical

    Periodical

    RAND Review: March-April 2017

    This issue highlights RAND research on the significant toll that poor sleep takes on society; ways to maximize benefits of investments in electricity infrastructure; social determinants of health; and RAND's new office in the San Francisco Bay Area.

    Mar 7, 2017

  • An aerial view of Foster City, California, April 19, 2009

    Q&A

    Innovation in the Bay Area: Q&A with Nidhi Kalra

    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.

    Mar 7, 2017

  • Multimedia

    Challenges and Approaches to Realizing Autonomous Vehicle Safety

    An overview of testimony by Nidhi Kalra submitted to the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Subcommittee on Digital Commerce and Consumer Protection on February 14, 2017.

    Feb 14, 2017

  • An illustration of autonomous cars on a road

    Testimony

    Realizing Autonomous Vehicle Safety

    Autonomous vehicles hold enormous promise for transportation safety. But feasible, sound methods of testing need to be developed. In the meantime, policymakers should work to foster the development of self-driving vehicles while lowering their risks.

    Feb 14, 2017

  • A highway at night under a starry sky

    Infographic

    Don't Rely on Test-Driving Alone to Assess Autonomous Vehicle Safety

    Americans drive three trillion miles a year, causing one death every 100 million miles. To prove that autonomous vehicles are safer than humans, they would have to be test-driven astronomical distances. Regulators should pursue other ways of reducing uncertainty about AV safety.

    Jan 9, 2017

  • A prototype of Google's self-driving vehicle is seen in Mountain View, California, September 29, 2015

    Testimony

    Shaping the Future of Autonomous Vehicles

    More than 90 percent of car crashes are caused by human errors. Will self-driving vehicles help mitigate this risk? To answer this question, experts must address how safety is measured and determine the threshold of safety required before autonomous vehicles are on the roads.

    Nov 16, 2016

  • Nidhi Kalra and Timothy Bonds at RAND's Politics Aside event in Santa Monica, November 12, 2016

    Q&A

    Autonomous Vehicles: Imagining the Day-to-Day of the Future

    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.

    Nov 14, 2016

  • Multimedia

    Politics Aside 2016 Audio Podcasts

    Listen to audio from RAND's Politics Aside 2016 event. Panelists discuss new technology and the price of personalized health care, autonomous vehicles, and the use of data in baseball.

    Nov 12, 2016

  • Dmitri Dolgov, principal engineer on the software team of Google's Self-Driving Car project, speaks during a presentation in Mountain View, California, September 29, 2015

    Commentary

    The Brains Behind Autonomous Vehicles May Need a License to Drive

    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.

    Sep 27, 2016

  • A fleet of Uber's Ford Fusion self-driving cars are shown during a demonstration in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, September 13, 2016

    Commentary

    When Will We Know Self-Driving Cars Are Safe?

    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.

    Sep 25, 2016

  • U.S. Capitol Building, Washington, D.C.

    Blog

    A Summer Reading List for Congress

    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.

    Aug 2, 2016

  • A Tesla Model S with version 7.0 software update containing Autopilot features is seen during a Tesla event in Palo Alto, California, October 14, 2015

    Commentary

    Tesla Fatal Crash Reminds That Human Interface Remains Important

    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.

    Jul 30, 2016

  • The interior of a Tesla Model S is shown in autopilot mode in San Francisco, California, April 7, 2016

    Commentary

    Fatal Crash Shouldn't Kill Self-Driving Cars

    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.

    Jul 16, 2016

  • Periodical

    Periodical

    RAND Review: July-August 2016

    This issue highlights the stress of military deployments and resilience of military families; RAND research on cybercrime, network defense, and data breaches; the 40th anniversary of RAND's landmark Health Insurance Experiment; and more.

    Jun 27, 2016

  • Double decker bus going by Big Ben and Parliament in London, UK

    Commentary

    Looking Out the Window to Transport in 2035

    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.

    Jun 27, 2016

  • Research Brief

    Research Brief

    Travel in Britain in 2035: Future scenarios and their implications for technology

    By 2035 UK transport infrastructure may be severely congested. Innovate UK commissioned this study to explore how technology might address the congestion problem by using capacity more efficiently, supporting modal choice and managing travel demand.

    Jun 24, 2016