Department of Transportation Unveils Updated Guidance for Autonomous Vehicles

The Department of Transportation (DOT) recently unveiled its updated guidance for autonomous vehicles. The guidance, titled “Preparing for the Future of Transportation: Automated Vehicles 3.0,” or “AV3.0” for short is an update of “AV2.0” that was released last year.

Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao explained in the report that “the integration of automation across our transportation system has the potential to increase productivity and facilitate freight movement. But most importantly, automation has the potential to impact safety significantly— by reducing crashes caused by human error, including crashes involving impaired or distracted drivers, and saving lives.”

The report explains that DOT’s approach to shaping federal policy for autonomous vehicles is shaped on six principles:

• Prioritize Safety;
• Remain Technology neutral;
• Modernize regulations;
• Encourage a consistent regulatory and operational environment;
• Proactively prepare for automation;
• Protect and enhance the freedoms enjoyed by Americans.

In addition to explaining the policy foundations, the document also lays out several upcoming rulemakings and further steps DOT plans on taking, including the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s initiation of an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to address automated vehicles.

The document is still technically a draft. It will soon be published in the Federal Register, at which point it will be available for public review and comment.

To view the guidance document in its current form, click here: https://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/docs/policy-initiatives/automated-vehicles/320711/preparing-future-transportation-automated-vehicle-30.pdf