Human drivers are fallible. Can automated systems do a better job to reduce the likelihood of car collisions?
A new study from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety finds that autonomous vehicles could only prevent about a third of crashes by virtue of their superior perception and judgment alone. If the cars were to avoid all crashes, their programming would require that safety is prioritized over efficiency.
"To estimate how many crashes might continue to occur if self-driving cars are designed to make the same decisions about risk that humans do, IIHS researchers examined more than 5,000 police-reported crashes from the National Motor Vehicle Crash Causation Survey," reports the IIHS team. They tested factors like perception, decision making, execution, incapacitation, and avoidability to find out how a world of exclusively self-driving cars would measure up against one with only human drivers. The team found that to promise increased safety in autonomous vehicles, speed and expediency would have to take a back seat to inconvenient safety precautions.
FULL STORY: Self-driving vehicles could struggle to eliminate most crashes
USDOT Waters Down Self-Driving Car Regulations
The agency is reducing reporting requirements for autonomous vehicles and cars with self-driving features, prompting concern among safety advocates who say transparency is essential to the safe deployment of AV technology.
NHTSA Cuts Could Make Roads More Dangerous
The agency is losing almost half of the team that oversees autonomous vehicle safety, among dozens of other key personnel.
Making Autonomous Vehicles Safer for Blind Pedestrians
A team of researchers is developing a dataset to fill a critical gap in self-driving cars’ learning models.
Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program
Federal officials are eyeing major cuts to the Section 8 program that helps millions of low-income households pay rent.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Canada vs. Kamala: Whose Liberal Housing Platform Comes Out on Top?
As Canada votes for a new Prime Minister, what can America learn from the leading liberal candidate of its neighbor to the north?
Washington State’s Parking Reform Law Could Unlock ‘Countless’ Acres for New Housing
A law that limits how much parking cities can require for residential amd commercial developments could lead to a construction boom.
Wildlife Rebounds After the Eaton Fire
Following the devastation of the Eaton Fire, the return of wildlife and the regrowth of native plants are offering powerful signs of resilience and renewal.
LA to Replace Inglewood Light Rail Project With Bus Shuttles
LA Metro says the change is in response to community engagement and that the new design will be ready before the 2028 Olympic Games.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions