Surface transportation : the Department of Transportation proposes significant changes to its automated highway system program [memorandum]

NHTSA · 1997 · ROSA P / United States. Government Accountability Office

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Summary

This General Accounting Office (GAO) report, issued in June 1997, examines the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Automated Highway System (AHS) program and its proposed strategic shift from long-term, fully automated infrastructure to near-term, vehicle-based safety technologies. The study was commissioned to inform Congress about the program’s current goals, future direction, and the implications of these changes. The AHS program, established under the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) of 1991, originally aimed to deploy a fully automated highway system within 20 to 30 years to enhance safety and capacity by removing human error from driving tasks. The GAO’s methodology involved reviewing key documents from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and the National Automated Highway System Consortium. The researchers also analyzed technical literature and conducted interviews with officials from DOT, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), and various stakeholder groups, including environmental organizations and transportation planners. This review assessed the potential benefits and drawbacks of full automation, as well as the rationale and consequences of DOT’s proposed refocusing of the program. The report finds that while a fully automated system could theoretically double or triple highway capacity and eliminate accidents caused by human factors, significant operational, legal, and financial barriers remain. These include potential bottlenecks at exit ramps, increased air pollution, unresolved liability issues, and high infrastructure costs. Consequently, DOT decided to pivot from a "revolutionary" approach to an "evolutionary" one, focusing on developing and testing crash avoidance technologies over the next 6 to 8 years. This new strategy involves three levels of technology: collision warning systems, advanced monitoring for driver drowsiness, and temporary vehicle control. NHTSA estimates these technologies could prevent approximately 1 million of the 6.4 million annual crashes. The significance of this shift lies in the immediate uncertainties it creates for the program’s structure and sustainability. The move toward vehicle-based research threatens the viability of the public-private Consortium, as infrastructure-focused members may withdraw, potentially leading to the Consortium’s dissolution. Additionally, the change raises questions about how DOT will coordinate research between FHWA and NHTSA and whether it will maintain sufficient investment in long-term, high-risk basic research. DOT officials stated they expected to resolve these structural issues by the end of summer 1997, viewing the near-term technologies as stepping stones rather than an abandonment of the full automation vision.

Key finding

The Department of Transportation shifted its Automated Highway System program from long-term full automation research to short-term development of near-term crash avoidance technologies due to limited stakeholder support and the need for immediate safety benefits.

Methodology

review

Provenance

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