Category Archives: self driving cars

INTERIM: 4 Pros for Self Driving Cars. 5 Legislative Proposals

The benefits of self driving cars:

  • greatly reduce crashes
  • reducing congestion
  • increasing mobility for the disabled
  • improving land use by converting existing urban parking spaces to other uses

Legislative Proposals:

  • Public-private partnerships with cities, like Somerville, MA’s partnership with Audi
  • Legislation needs to address the varying environmental conditions that self driving cars will face
  • Legislation should assure the reliability of the technology
  • Legislatures must…

INTERIM Lege Trend: Self Driving Big Rigs & Trains. The New Self Driving Car. 5 Effects in Texas. 3 Companies Moving Forward.

Freight movement is entering a new, driverless world. Both 18 wheelers and train cargo are entering a new automated world. The future is now.

5 Ways driverless freight will impact  Texas:

  • it will change the economics of freight shipping
  • resolve truck driver shortages
  • reduce the cost of freight shipping
  • more fuel efficient freight shipping
  • safer freight shipping

The big truck companies testing driverless big rigs:

  • Freightliner/Daimler
  •  Volvo
  • Peterbilt

Forbes | Self-Driving…

Name that Billionaire Funding Traffic Congestion Studies

…Paul Allen.

Who teamed up with Paul Allen? Department of Transportation

What’s the project?Smart City Challenge

What’s the goal of the Smart City Challenge for traffic solutions?

​incentivize forward-thinking, high-tech solutions to the gridlock and inefficiencies that come part and parcel with urban living. T

What kind of traffic solutions are being grant funded?  

  • smarter cars
  • street lights
  • public transit
  • anything that makes transportation quicker, easier, and safer.

 

Texas & Self Driving Cars. 4 Results from the Laissez-faire Libertarian Approach.

Google cars are maneuvering Austin roadways while Texas’ regulation of self-driving cars is laissez-faire libertarian.

4 Reasons Why the libertarian approach has prevailed:

  • Texas laws & regulation have no obvious restrictions on self-driving vehicles
  • Google is frustrated with a year delay in California’s state regulation of self driving cars
  • DPS is reportedly working with other states on the issue
  • TXDOT says it is waiting for legislative guidance

Statesman | In Texas, debate…

Car Hacking Top Security Risk for McAfee

McAfee Labs 2016 Threats Predictions puts hacking cars as the top security risk, & here’s why:

Findlaw | Technologist | Car Hacking Tops List of 2016 Cybersecurity Threats

Trend: Self Driving Cars. New Fed Rules. 3 Points to Know.

Background

  •  In 2013, the feds were super cautious about self driving cars. 
  • States stepped up and began creating regulatory frameworks
  • Then, California asked the feds for advice & the feds began rethinking their position

New Federal Guidelines Emerging for Self Driving Cars that will:

  • Transportation Secretary has directed National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to get moving on self driving car rules
  • The new rules will: “reflect today’s technology and his sense of urgency to…

2015 House Interim Charges. 7 Committees. Funding. Tollroads. Self Driving Cars. Rail. Ports.

Transportation

Funding | Tollroads | THE INTERIM CHARGES

  • Appropriations: funding that accurately address transportation needs
  • County Affairs: private roadways from 2015’s Prop 5; is it undue competition between industry and counties or expand it?
  • Elections: local bond elections
  • Homeland Security & Public Safety: commercial motor vehicle violations, motor vehicle “two steps, one sticker”
  • Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence: examine the Texas Lemon Law
  • Transportation: roadway flows…

Trend: Self Driving Cars. 2 Regulatory Hurdles.

  • “flow of traffic” programing for freeway/ highway driving, this means so the car goes with the flow of traffic at a rate of speed higher than the speed limit
    • How do you write a law to allow the car to move at the faster than the posted speed limit sign?
  • Tailgating
    • Self driving cars can be closer to the cars around it without causing accidents

The Recorder | The Road Ahead for Automated Cars