PennDOT Outlines Policy Action Plan for Increased Safety Oversight of Highly Automated Vehicles

PennDOT Outlines Policy Action Plan for Increased Safety Oversight of
Highly Automated Vehicles

4/9/2018-KING OF PRUSSIA

PennDOT unveiled a multi-step action plan Monday to establish stepped-up
safety
oversight of Highly Automated Vehicles in Pennsylvania.

PennDOT Secretary Leslie S. Richards outlined the voluntary testing policy
at
the first day of a two-day Automated Vehicle Summit in Pittsburgh. This was
the
second AV summit held in Pennsylvania over the last year and reflects the
groundwork the Wolf Administration has taken to prepare for the benefits
and
challenges presented by this emerging technology.

"Given public concerns about safety on Pennsylvania roadways, we must
implement
interim oversight policies while we await legislative action on our request
for
permanent authorization," Richards said.

The Automated Vehicle Policy Task Force, created in June 2016, coordinated
with
industry, academic and government stakeholders and delivered policy
recommendations to the General Assembly in November 2016.

Building on that groundwork, PennDOT will take these steps over the next 60
to
90 days:
• Richards will convene a meeting of the testers regarding the interim
policies.
• The Autonomous Vehicle Policy Task Force will be reconvened to update
testing
policy recommendations.
• Until enactment of legislation sought by the administration, PennDOT will
ask
all testers to comply with the following testing policy. Testers would
submit a
"Notice of Testing" to PennDOT, with:
o Basic Information: Name of the company, address, phone number, e-mail;
identify principal point of contact for the testing;
o Verification attesting that the HAVs meet all federal and state safety
standards and meet the policies adopted by PennDOT;
o Proof of a driver/operator training program. (PennDOT strongly
recommends
clean driving records for HAV operators);
o Certification that all drivers have met/passed program requirements;
o Name of approved "drivers", with valid DL numbers;
o List of vehicles that will be involved in the testing and their VIN
and/or
Plate number;
o Routes or geographic location for testing;
o Basic overview of Operational Design Domain (ODD) including constraints.
The
ODD describes the specific conditions under which a given HAV is intended
to
operate, including where (such as what roadway types and speeds) and when
(under what conditions, such as day/night, weather limits, etc.);
o Proof of insurance; and
o Immediately halt testing of any HAV that knowingly shares hardware or
software with a vehicle that is part of a National Transportation Safety
Board
(NTSB) investigation.

Compliance with these voluntary policies will qualify the tester to receive
an
"Authorization Letter" from PennDOT valid for a year, with annual renewals.

PennDOT also will urge the Automated Vehicle industry and testers to:
• Voluntarily agree to comply with PennDOT interim testing policies and
complete Notice to Testing Certification.
• Attend the meeting with the PennDOT Secretary.
• Continue and foster open lines of communication with PennDOT.
• Coordinate with PennDOT on developing best practices for operating HAVs
within safety critical locations such as signalized intersections and work
zones.
• Put greater emphasis on developing and deploying vehicle-to-vehicle,
vehicle-to-infrastructure, and vehicle-to-device connectivity.
• Establish and fund an independent technical review body to promulgate
best
practices and pledge adherence to its recommendations.

In addition, PennDOT will continue to urge the General Assembly to adopt
legislation that provides for AV testing on public roadways subject to
PennDOT's safety oversight and requires compliance with PennDOT's testing
safety policies.

PennDOT also will initiate a letter from multiple state DOT and
transportation
agencies calling for the creation of an independent certification mechanism

similar to the work Underwriters Laboratories (UL) does to reduce system
failure (both software and hardware).

PennDOT looks to the federal government for these actions:
• The National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA) should revise Guidance
2.0
to make a safety checklist mandatory. It now is voluntary.
• Congress should amend current HAV legislation to strengthen state control

over roadway operations with respect to HAVs.
• Third Party safety auditors should adopt independent certification
similar to
the work Underwriters Laboratories (UL) does. This would help reduce system

failure (both software and hardware).

"HAVs hold much promise for enhanced mobility and economic prosperity, but
much
work remains to be done before the technology matures to the point where
widespread use will be accepted," Richards said. "Pennsylvania welcomes the

continued testing of HAVs, but wants to do so in a way to ensure safety is
not
compromised."

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