NO ONE'S DRIVING THAT CAR
Posted: June 17th, 2014, 5:47 am
I'm no George Jetson but guess I've been more out of touch with reality than I imagined...(for those who do not know who George Jetson is, you can ignore this post)
Selmon Expressway Now Eligible as Testing Ground for Automated Vehicles
The Tampa Hillsborough Expressway Authority (THEA) announced that the Selmon Expressway (Expressway) is about to make history. Approved by the Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) and the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT), the Expressway has met the criteria to become an automated vehicle testing ground, joining a small affiliation of other testing ground locations nationwide and only the second one in Florida.
The Expressway’s designation provides the capabilities for researchers to test the safety, mobility, environmental and efficiency advantages, services, standards and components of robotic cars "within the latest technology standards and architecture consistent with the United States Department of Transportation's Vehicle-To-Vehicle (V2V) and Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I) research program," according to the RITA Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office. "It will allow for application testing with the focus and potential to save lives and provide continuous real-time connectivity among users."
Some expected benefits of the driverless cars include the following:
Fewer navigational errors,
Fewer traffic collisions and accidents,
Reduced traffic congestion and increased traffic flow,
Higher allowable speed limits,
Expanded freedom of use by those of any age, disability or intoxication level to use the vehicles, drastically reduce the need for close by parking and redundant drivers (since the robotic cars would not need human drivers), and
Reduction in the need and costs for traffic police, vehicle insurance, taxi services and road signage, to name a few expected benefits.
Florida became the second state in the nation allowing automated vehicles to operate on its roads. For more information and details regarding the testing ground affiliation and future capabilities, click here or contact THEA Planning Director Bob Frey at 813-272-6740 or BobF@tampa-xway.com.
