Transportation

  • Blog

    Veterans, Autonomous Vehicles, Digital Protests: RAND Weekly Recap

    This weekly recap focuses on preventing veteran suicide, who's responsible when a car is hacked, how digital protests can affect Fortune 500 companies, and more.

    Nov 8, 2019

  • Two passengers working in a driverless car, illustration by sorbetto/Getty Images

    Blog

    When Driverless Cars Were a Remote Idea

    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.

    Nov 1, 2019

  • Periodical

    Periodical

    RAND Review: November-December 2019

    This issue spotlights research on veteran suicide; liability implications of driverless cars; and new approaches to improving the post-incarceration experience. The Giving column highlights a million-dollar gift to fund research on homeless veterans.

    Oct 28, 2019

  • Illustration of a large gavel crashing down on self-driving cars, illustration by Chris Philpot

    Essay

    Who's Responsible When Your Car Gets Hacked?

    Cars are becoming "fast, heavy artificial intelligences on wheels," a RAND report cautions, and that means they're becoming vulnerable. Potentially billions of dollars ride on the question of who has the legal responsibility to keep hackers from grabbing the wheel or cutting the brakes.

    Oct 23, 2019

  • Blog

    School Start Times, Streaming Apps, Brexit: RAND Weekly Recap

    This weekly recap focuses on later school start times, how streaming apps could help Americans be more active, the latest Brexit news, and more.

    Oct 18, 2019

  • A solider using an RQ-11B Raven, a small hand-launched remote-controlled unmanned aerial vehicle, in 2006, photo by SFC Michael Guillory/U.S. Army

    Report

    Could Autonomous Drones Make Blood Deliveries?

    Blood must be transported and stored in a certain way, and it has a finite shelf life. Unmanned systems offer flexibility in chaotic or uncertain environments. Could autonomous unmanned aerial vehicles make the military's blood supply network more resilient?

    Oct 18, 2019

  • Person pointing at a public transit map, photo by Rawpixel/Getty Images

    Report

    Incorporating Resilience into Transportation Planning

    A resilient transportation system is one in which critical assets are not exposed to hazards or, if they are, there is sufficient capacity to mitigate the negative effects. How can transportation planners better incorporate resilience into their decisionmaking?

    Oct 16, 2019

  • Journal Article

    Journal Article

    Sacramento Area Council of Governments Peer Review

    This is a peer review of Robust Decision Making, an exploratory modeling approach for informing decisions under deep uncertainty, and the Exploratory Analysis and Modeling Tool, focusing applications for the Sacramento Area Council of Governments.

    Sep 25, 2019

  • Car parking with autonomous self-driving parking assistant, photo by vchal/Getty Images

    Commentary

    Bargain-Hunting Robocars Could Spell the End for Downtown Parking: Cities Need to Plan Ahead Now

    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.

    Aug 29, 2019

  • USNS Mendonca offloads cargo in Virginia Beach, Va., photo by U.S. Navy

    Report

    Approaches to Strategic Sealift Readiness

    The authors examine the readiness of the strategic sealift fleet and its management. They determine that many factors can be improved to increase readiness and make recommendations toward that end.

    Aug 8, 2019

  • A guard leaves the Lee Correctional Institution in Bishopville, South Carolina, April 16, 2018, photo by Randall Hill/Reuters

    Report

    What Correctional Institutions Need to Address Security Challenges

    Some threats to the security of correctional institutions, such as violence, escape attempts, and contraband, are as old as the institutions themselves. But as society and technology evolve, new threats are emerging, including hacking, synthetic drugs, and drones.

    Jul 31, 2019

  • Report

    Report

    When Autonomous Vehicles Are Hacked, Who Is Liable?

    The arrival of autonomous vehicles (AVs) on the roads will require policymakers, industry, and the public to adapt to the risk of hackers attacking these vehicles. RAND researchers explored the civil liability issues related to hacked AVs.

    Jul 12, 2019

  • Smart car 3D rendering, photo by Production Perig/Adobe Stock

    Research Brief

    When an Autonomous Vehicle Is Hacked, Who Is Liable?

    Hacks on autonomous vehicles could lead to deaths, property destruction, ransomware attacks, or data theft. Several scenarios illustrate the policy challenges facing the civil legal system, insurers, and others.

    Jul 12, 2019

  • Periodical

    Periodical

    RAND Review: July-August 2019

    This issue spotlights a strategy to reduce roadway deaths to zero; a school principal initiative that yielded positive results for schools and students; and a data-driven effort to enhance equity in a major U.S. city.

    Jul 1, 2019

  • Journal Article

    Journal Article

    Autonomous Transport Devices: Implications of Game-Changing Technologies in the Services Sector in Europe

    The potential socioeconomic implications and applicability of game-changing technologies to the European services sector, covering: advanced robotics; autonomous transport devices; blockchain; virtual and augmented reality; and wearable devices.

    Jun 25, 2019

  • Aerial view of a highway junction at night, photo by DKart/Getty Images

    Essay

    How to End U.S. Roadway Deaths by 2050

    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.

    Jun 24, 2019

  • Report

    Report

    A new travel demand model for London: Estimation of the mode and destination choice models

    RAND Europe and partners were commissioned by Transport for London (TfL) to develop a new strategic travel model for London, the New Demand Model (NDM). This report documents RAND Europe's work to develop new mode-destination choice models.

    Jun 19, 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

  • Journal Article

    Journal Article

    Evaluation of Walk and Bicycle Demand Modeling Practice

    An evaluation of the current state of research and practice in regional pedestrian and bicycle demand modelling for both commute and noncommute trips. The results of the study were connected to planning needs and practice.

    May 16, 2019

  • Report

    Report

    Aligning Incentives in the Transportation Working Capital Fund: Cost Recovery While Retaining Readiness in Military Transportation

    Many of U.S. Transportation Command's peacetime movements are crucial preparation for wartime. But some customers think that costs are too high. This report analyzes cost recovery to better align customer peacetime decisions with the wartime mission.

    May 2, 2019

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