Jan 21 -- The Office of the Secretary of Transportation (OST) invites public comment by March 22, 2021 on the document, Automated Vehicles Comprehensive Plan (Comprehensive Plan). The Comprehensive Plan describes how the United States Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) is working towards the safe and full integration of Automated Driving Systems (ADS) into the surface transportation system. It explains Departmental goals related to ADS, identifies actions being taken to meet those goals, and provides real-world examples of how these Departmental actions relate to emerging ADS applications.
Development of ADS technology is occurring along multiple paths and significant uncertainty still exists around what form ADS applications and vehicles will take in the future. Even with the progress the industry has made over the last decade, no vehicle equipped with an ADS is available for purchase in the U.S., to date. Technologies are still under development, and the deployment of ADS-equipped vehicles—outside of small-scale pilots—remains years away.
The Comprehensive Plan addresses clear near-term needs while laying the groundwork for longer-term changes. This plan does not attempt to predict the future forms of ADS-equipped vehicles or the services they may provide. U.S. DOT will periodically review its activities and plans to reflect new technology and industry developments and stakeholder feedback, eliminate unnecessary or redundant initiatives, and align investments with emerging focus areas. Comments received to this Comprehensive Plan will assist the Department in planning and prioritizing its future activities, but comments directed at any particular action contained in the Plan, including the ongoing rulemakings, are outside of the scope of this request and should, instead, be provided in the relevant docket for that action during its open comment period.
Automated Vehicles Comprehensive Plan:
https://www.transportation.gov/av/avcp
FR notice inviting comment:
https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/01/21/2021-01115/automated-vehicles-comprehensive-plan-request-for-comments
