BACKGROUND
Transportation agencies are charged with an increasingly complex task of balancing the needs to preserve and maintain assets while introducing new assets into an already overwhelmed transportation system. Gradually, organizations are recognizing that past practices of designing what is considered a safe traveling environment is changing as the vehicle fleet evolves to more connected, autonomous and automated driving. While it is understood that impacts are relatively minor today, the implications on the design and operational criteria of tomorrow will be substantial.
Research is needed to understand and plan for these impacts and to consider how they could change the way we plan, design, and operate to address the contributing factors for crashes on our facilities. Federal, state, and local public agencies recognize that there are challenges with maintaining the state of good repair on many assets with existing resources. Failure to adequately do so may have an impact on roadway safety and operations. Federal, state, and local public agencies will need to effectively manage resources given the opportunities that ADS brings, while maintaining safety and mobility throughout its adoption.
OBJECTIVE
The objective of this research was to develop a framework for practitioners (e.g., transportation infrastructure owners, safety agencies, road users and ADS manufacturers) to use in current and future safety planning, design, operational decisions, and investments on multimodal infrastructure.
STATUS
