| Connecting The DOTs
| Technology Profile
by Kirk Steudle
Are true Level 4 and 5
automated vehicles right
around the corner?
“As transportation
professionals we need
to focus on the benefits
of connected and
automated vehicles”
January/February 2020 Traffic Technology International
www.TrafficTechnologyToday.com
069
One of the questions I am
often asked on my travels
is: are Level 4 and 5
automated vehicles nearly upon us? Before
I answer, let me provide a little background
on the levels of vehicle automation.
The Society of Automotive Engineers
(SAE) and the USDOT’s National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
classify six levels of capability for
automated cars, starting from entirely
human-operated vehicles that represent
Level 0 to fully-automated vehicles that
represent Level 5. In particular, automation
Levels 4 and 5 include Automated Driving
Systems (ADS) that can perform all aspects
of driving tasks and monitor the
environment.
• Level 4: ADS on the vehicle can perform
all driving tasks and monitor the driving
environment in most circumstances.
• Level 5: ADS on the vehicle can do all
the driving in all circumstances.
While a few Level 4 low-speed shuttles
in geo-fenced locations (campuses and
specified city routes) are operating today,
Level 4/5 personal vehicles that travel
anywhere are a long way off.
If you’ve been following my columns,
there is a lot of work that needs to happen
from a technology and infrastructure
perspective. While many of the automated
technologies are rapidly coming to market
or are right around the corner, the cities,
municipalities, and agencies responsible
for infrastructure maintenance and
upgrades move at a different pace.
Collectively, as transportation
professionals, we need to keep focusing on
and advocating the benefits of connected
and automated vehicles (CAVs). Not just the
technological wonder of CAVs, but the
safety and societal benefits that they
provide. With the release of the AAA
Foundation for Traffic Safety report at
the end of 2019 highlighting the dramatic
increase of fatalities as a result of red-light
running, we can honestly say that CAVs can
prevent red-light running and save lives.
So what are the key safety and societal
benefits that we need to advocate?
CAVs have the potential to save lives
and reduce injuries because nearly 95%
of serious crashes are due to human error.
Considering more than 37,133 people died
in motor vehicle-related crashes in the US
in 2017, the impact ADS technologies can
have on saving lives by removing the
human-error factor is enormous.
According to NHTSA’s updated report,
The Economic and Societal Impact Of
Motor Vehicle Crashes, 2010, the total harm
and quality of life impact from motor
vehicle crashes was US$836 billion. CAVs
can substantially erase these costs, as well
as improve quality of life and mobility.
We spend the equivalent of 1-3 work
weeks stuck in traffic each year. CAVs
can reduce travel time and reduce traffic
congestion, substantially reducing billions
of gallons of wasted fuel and time.
CAVs also could be transformative
providing new mobility options to millions
of underserved citizens, especially the
elderly and those with disabilities. CAVs
will deliver new levels of freedom to
millions. Until next time, travel safe.
Kirk Steudle is senior vice president of Econolite
and former director of Michigan DOT. He can be
reached at KSteudle@econolite.com
21-24 APR 2020 AMSTERDAM
GOODVISION Stand: 11.420
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