Transportation Technology

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  • Horus FT-100 in production flight, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FT_Sistemas_FT-100_Horus#/media/File:Horus_1_-_Passagem_Baixa.jpg">photo</a> by Nei.brasil / <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>

    Commentary

    Opportunities for the Brazilian Navy to Employ Additional Unmanned Systems

    The Brazilian Navy needs to have both the capabilities and capacity to meet a wide range of demands over vast and diverse geographic areas. What are some of the potential ways the Brazilian Navy could use unmanned systems to improve effectiveness and, potentially, reduce risks and costs?

    Aug 10, 2021

  • Illustration of smart transportation, people and vehicles moving in city streets using sensors, photo by elenabsl/Adobe Stock

    Report

    When Can Automated Vehicles Be Considered Safe Enough?

    Establishing whether automated vehicles are acceptably safe is not straightforward, and continual technology development adds complication. Agreeing on the approaches to assess AV safety and improving communication about safety are important for building and sustaining public trust.

    Oct 29, 2020

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  • RAND Weekly Recap

    Blog

    Hong Kong, Education Reform, Baghdad: RAND Weekly Recap

    This weekly recap focuses on lessons for state education reform, retaining women in the U.S. Coast Guard, recounting the Battle for Baghdad, and more.

    Jun 14, 2019

  • The new i-Cristal electric autonomous shuttle is presented at the Lohr Group headquarters factory in Duppigheim near Strasbourg, France, September 10, 2018, photo by Vincent Kessler/Reuters

    Commentary

    AVs Could Improve Transportation Access in 'Transit Deserts'

    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.

    May 31, 2019

  • RAND Weekly Recap

    Blog

    Christchurch, Brexit, China and Israel: RAND Weekly Recap

    This weekly recap focuses on the Christchurch shootings, how the UK can improve its post-Brexit prospects, China and Israel's evolving relationship, and more.

    Mar 22, 2019

  • Interior of autonomous car with ones and zeroes superimposed, photo by metamorworks/Getty Images

    Commentary

    Why AV Safety and Cybersecurity Need to Be Pursued in Tandem

    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.

    Mar 20, 2019

  • RAND Weekly Recap

    Blog

    State of the Union, OxyContin, Appalachia: RAND Weekly Recap

    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.

    Feb 8, 2019

  • Vice President Mike Pence and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi listen as President Donald Trump delivers his second State of the Union address in Washington, February 5, 2019

    Blog

    State of the Union: Insights from RAND

    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.

    Feb 6, 2019

  • A road work sign on California Highway 101 north warns,

    Commentary

    How to Make Roads Safer for Autonomous Vehicles

    No matter how much developers test autonomous vehicles, the world will still present unforeseen circumstances for vehicles to navigate. Roadways and vehicle design could be modified to better accommodate both human error and the shortcomings of autonomous vehicle systems.

    Feb 6, 2019

  • Sailors and civilian personnel remotely pilot an Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) from ashore several miles away, photo by Ken Rose/U.S. Navy

    Report

    Advancing Autonomous Systems: An Analysis of Current and Future Technology for Unmanned Maritime Vehicles

    In this report, RAND researchers explore current and potential military applications of autonomous systems, focusing especially on unmanned undersea vehicles and unmanned surface vehicles.

    Jan 4, 2019

  • RAND Weekly Recap

    Blog

    Veterans, Infrastructure, Middle East: RAND Weekly Recap

    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.

    Nov 9, 2018

  • RAND's Kathryn Bouskill speaks at a TEDxManhattanBeach event.

    Multimedia

    Why We Should Control the Speed of Life

    RAND's Kathryn Bouskill discusses the accelerating pace of nearly every aspect of our lives, and the societal and security challenges it presents.

    Nov 3, 2018

  • Car driving autonomously with LIDAR sensor

    Commentary

    The New AV Challenge: Creating a Universal Safety Framework

    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.

    Nov 2, 2018

  • An autonomous car scans the road and stops at a crosswalk

    Report

    How AV Safety Can Be Defined, Tested, and Measured

    The race to introduce automated vehicles to consumers and communities is based on the promise that they will be safer than conventional vehicles. A new framework for measuring AV safety provides the public, automotive industry, and policymakers with clearer ways to discuss AV technology issues.

    Oct 11, 2018

  • Senior couple in a car

    Commentary

    How AVs Could Provide Independence for Older Drivers

    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.

    Sep 21, 2018

  • Bird scooters outside a restaurant in Santa Monica, California, July 23, 2018

    Commentary

    A Better Way to Think About Scooters

    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.

    Aug 28, 2018

  • AutoNOMOS self-driving car drives during a presentation in Zurich, Switzerland, May 12, 2015

    Commentary

    What If Autonomous Vehicles Actually Make Us More Dependent on Cars?

    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.

    Jun 19, 2018

  • A self-driving car being developed by nuTonomy, a company creating software for autonomous vehicles, is guided down a street near their offices in Boston, Massachusetts, June 2, 2017

    Report

    Rethinking Insurance and Liability in the Transformative Age of Autonomous Vehicles

    What are the challenges and opportunities for the automobile insurance industry as autonomous vehicle technology becomes widely deployed? This workshop brought together industry stakeholders, regulators, and consumer representatives to focus on the implications of AV technology for insurance and liability regimes.

    Jun 8, 2018

  • A graphic representing an accelerating future

    Article

    Can Humans Survive a Faster Future?

    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?

    May 1, 2018

  • Abstract motion speed light with night city background

    Commentary

    Speed and Security: Promises, Perils, and Paradoxes of Accelerating Everything

    As new technologies and social dynamics shift society into hyperdrive, speed could catalyze security risks in areas such as transportation, communication, and health. How can policymakers devise strategies to adapt?

    May 1, 2018

  • Aerial view of a highway with cars and trucks in the middle of a green forest

    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

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