Pennsylvania Takes Steps to Lead on Autonomous Vehicle Development, Testing with Newly Established Task Force, Legislation

Pennsylvania Takes Steps to Lead on Autonomous Vehicle Development, Testing
with Newly Established Task Force, Legislation

6/1/2016-KING OF PRUSSIA

Citing the future anticipated benefits to travel safety, the environment
and
mobility, PennDOT Secretary Leslie S. Richards today joined elected,
industry
and other transportation officials to mark the state's continued and
progressive steps as a national leader in the safe, innovative development
of
autonomous and connected vehicle technologies.

"We are always looking at ways to make travel safer, and these new vehicle
technologies offer a huge opportunity to not only advance our network, but
also
reduce human behavior as a factor in crashes," Richards said. "We're
looking
forward to expanding on the innovation that's already alive and well here
in
Pittsburgh so companies can test their technologies in our state's varied
seasons and roadway types."

Richards spoke at an event today in Pittsburgh before the first meeting of
a
newly established Autonomous Vehicles Testing Policy Task Force that will
collaboratively develop guidance that PennDOT will use when drafting
autonomous
vehicle policy. PennDOT is chairing the task force, which is comprised of
state, federal and private-industry officials such as the Federal Highway
Administration, AAA, Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) and Uber
Technologies.

According to Carnegie Mellon University, which hosted the Task Force
meeting
and demonstrated its autonomous technologies after the event, the
university's
faculty and students have been working for more than 30 years to ensure
that
self-driving cars will be safe, affordable, and ultimately, accepted by the

public. The university has made significant contributions to AV technology
inventions and has created 14 generations of self-driving vehicles. The
university's latest self-driving car is a 2011 Cadillac SRX that takes
ramps,
merges onto highways, and cruises at 70 mph by itself.

Also participating in the event were lawmakers who are sponsoring
legislation
in the state Senate and House that would establish Pennsylvania as a
national
leader in autonomous vehicle testing.

"I am delighted to see Pittsburgh and CMU taking a leadership role in
autonomous vehicles and hope today's event shows our commitment to
supporting
this ground breaking research. The work being done at CMU is a source of
pride
for not only Pittsburgh, but the entire Commonwealth of Pennsylvania," said

Sen. Randy Vulakovich. "By working with all of the stake holder groups, I
believe SB 1268 will foster innovation while at the same time ensure the
safety
of motorists on our public roads."

The legislation would:
• Provide for controlled automated vehicle testing, not operation;
• Allow flexibility to adapt to changing technology;
• Require companies interested in testing to submit an application and
provide
proof of $5 million in general liability insurance; and
• Allow support for in-vehicle and remote-operator testing, considered the
"Full Self-Driving Automation" level, the fourth and highest level of
automation as defined by the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration.

Noting that the announcement occurred in Pittsburgh and CMU hosted the Task

Force meeting, Sen. Wayne Fontana said, "Pittsburgh being chosen as one of
the
seven finalists out of nearly 80 cities that applied for the [U.S.
Department
of Transportation's] Smart City Challenge is a testament to the innovation
happening in the region. Pennsylvania as a whole has a lot to offer and my
hopes are that the introduction of SB 1268 will help universities and
companies
that are testing these vehicles of the future feel welcomed in the
commonwealth
and inspire future generations."

Various studies and research have pointed to autonomous and connected
vehicles
as having environmental and travel benefits in addition to reducing human
error
in driving. Vehicle functions such as maintaining more consistent speeds,
communicating with infrastructure or other vehicles, and allowing highway
officials to eventually to invest less in engineering solutions related to
human behavior (such as rumble strips) are examples of potential benefits
of
expanding these technologies.

"The concept of autonomous cars is something many of us never thought we'd
be
discussing in our lifetime," Sen. Jay Costa said. "What's exciting to me is

that right here in Pittsburgh, we're in the center of where this innovation
is
happening at places like Google, Uber and most importantly, here at
Carnegie
Mellow University. Innovation brings growth and will have a lasting impact
on
our communities. As we move forward, we're not only testing the concept of
autonomous vehicles, we're growing jobs and driving economic development in
our
communities."

At the state level, these steps could quickly bring additional economic
opportunities as automotive and technology companies, encouraged by the
legislation, could establish themselves in the state.

"Autonomous and connected vehicles will be integrated in the next
generation of
our transportation system," stated Sen. John Rafferty, Chairman of the
Senate
Transportation Committee. "One of the primary reasons for Senate Bill 1268
is
to test the incorporation of this advanced technology on our roadways that
provides for safety, mobility, innovation and economic development."

Additionally, in the future, autonomous vehicles could offer more
opportunity
for independence for the nation's millions of older or disabled citizens.
According to the U.S. Census, by 2050 there will be an estimated 48 million

people over the age of 75 in the U.S.

"Autonomous and connected vehicles offer a promising glimpse into the
future of
our transportation system," Sen. John Wozniak said. "I'm proud that
Pennsylvania is one of the states leading the development of this cutting
edge
technology. However, it's important that the public knows these cars are
safe
and SB 1268 addresses those concerns while at the same time allowing
Pennsylvania to stay competitive in this field for years to come."

Rep. Jim Marshall, House Subcommittee Chairman for Transportation Safety
and
sponsor of forthcoming autonomous vehicle legislation in the House, added,
"With matters of public safety, we must be proactive, not reactive. This
important legislation will get Pennsylvania out in front of this new and
evolving technology."

The task force and legislation build on current and past studies, work
groups
and coalitions in which PennDOT has participated. The department currently
has
representatives on the American Association of Motor Vehicle
Administrators'
Automated Vehicles Best Practices work group; the American Association of
State
Highway Transportation Officials Connected and Automated Vehicle Technical
Working Group; the Vehicle-to-Infrastructure Deployment Coalition; the
Connected Vehicle Pooled Fund Study; and the Transportation Research
Board's
Technical Activities Council on Vehicle Automation.


Following is a list of Autonomous Vehicles Testing Policy Task Force
members:

Commonwealth Representatives
PennDOT Co-chairs
• Kurt J. Myers, Deputy Secretary, Driver & Vehicle Services
• Roger Cohen, Policy Director

Department of Insurance: Glenda Ebersole, Policy Director

Department of Community & Economic Development: Steve D'Ettorre, Policy
Director

PA State Police
• Major Ed Hoke, Bureau of Patrol
• Captain Bruce Williams

Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission: Stacia Ritter, Director of Policy &
External
Affairs

Stakeholder Representatives
Federal Highway Administration: Phil Bobitz, Assistant Safety
Engineer/Transportation Engineer

Local Government: Pittsburgh Councilman Dan Gilman

AAA: Ted Leonard, Executive Director

American Trucking Associations (ATA)
• Robert C. Pitcher, Vice President, State Laws
• James W. Runk, President, PA Motor Truck Association

Carnegie Mellon University: Dr. Raj Rajkumar

University of Pennsylvania: Erick Guerra, Professor of City & Regional
Planning

Uber Technologies: Ashwini Chhabra, Head of Policy Development

Society of Automotive Engineers: Bill Gouse, Director of Federal Program
Development, SAE International

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