Standardization of testing for autonomous vehicles lacks cohesion, with standards differing around the world and, in the case of the USA, between states. To improve this situation, the US Department of Transportation has announced that nine companies and eight states have signed up to a new program to improve the safety and testing transparency of automated driving systems, the Automated Vehicle Transparency and Engagement for Safe Testing (AV TEST) Initiative.
The participating companies are Beep, Cruise, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Local Motors, Navya, Nuro, Toyota, Uber and Waymo, and the States are California, Florida, Maryland, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Utah.
“Through this initiative, the department is creating a formal platform for federal, state, and local government to coordinate and share information in a standard way,” said US transportation secretary Elaine L Chao.
The AV TEST Initiative will include a series of public events across the country to improve transparency and safety in the development and testing of automated driving systems. Participants can share information about their activities, which the DoT says will help increase the public’s awareness of testing, centralize the department’s role in promoting safety and innovation, and build stronger relationships among federal, state, and local governments and stakeholders.
For example, online mapping tools may show testing locations at the local, state and national levels, as well as testing activity data, which may include dates, frequency, vehicle counts and routes.
For more about the AV Test Initiative, please visit nhtsa.gov/avtest.