PennDOT highlights achievements of highly automated vehicles

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) recently highlighted leadership in Highly Automated Vehicles (HAV).

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration contacted PennDOT to join seven other states and nine companies to participate in a U.S. Department of Transportation initiative to improve the safety and testing transparency of automated driving systems.

The initiative covers safety testing and Automated Vehicle Transparency.

PennDOT also joined the Partners for Automated Vehicle Education’s Public Sector Advisory Council. The group of public sector organizations will educate consumers about automated vehicles and their impact on society.

After several months, PennDOT issued updates to its guidance to enhance safety oversight of HAVs. The agency met with Pennsylvania’s Autonomous Vehicle Policy Task Force and more than a dozen automated vehicle technology companies before updating its guidance.

“As automated and connected vehicle technologies advance, it’s critical that we ensure they develop safely and in partnership with these companies,” PennDOT Secretary Yassmin Gramian said. “I’m proud of the leadership that we and our partners at the state, in academia, and the industry are showing as we move Pennsylvania into the future.”

Pennsylvania’s Highly Automated Vehicle Advisory Committee also recently published its first annual report.

Other states in the initiative included Maryland and Ohio.