U.S. Department of Transportation Picks 10 Sites for Driverless Vehicle Testing
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has announced the 10 sites from across the United States that it has designated as proving grounds for the testing and development of autonomous and driverless technology.
Among many goals, the sites will be used to provide helpful insights into big data usage through automated vehicle testing. They will also be used to encourage collaboration and innovation in the world of autonomous vehicle development, to find new concepts for personal and commercial mobility, and foster new ideas that could possibly help the lives of disadvantaged communities and people.
The sites that have been picked include the City of Pittsburgh and the Thomas D. Larson Pennsylvania Transportation Institute, the Texas AV Proving Grounds Partnership, the U.S. Army Aberdeen Test Center, the American Center for Mobility (ACM) at Willow Run, the Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) & GoMentum Station, the San Diego Association of Governments, the Iowa City Area Development Group, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the Central Florida Automated Vehicle Partners and the North Carolina Turnpike Authority.
In a press release announcing the chosen sites, U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx says, “the designated proving grounds will collectively form a Community of Practice around safe testing and deployment.”
“This group will openly share best practices for the safe conduct of testing and operations as they are developed, enabling the participants and the general public to learn at a faster rate and accelerating the pace of safe deployment.”
More than 60 entities from a variety of fields including academic institutions, state Departments of Transportation, and cities from across the United States applied to be designated as proving ground pilot sites.
