Route Fifty is reporting that the National Safety Council has urged state and local officials to change their approach to regulating city streets, in order to prepare for the advent of new technologies like these and to reverse a recent surge in traffic deaths.
The council, in a new report, also predicted that fully autonomous vehicles will not be widely deployed in the next 20 years, but said that related technologies could help decrease traffic crashes. For instance, Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, which can help detect pedestrians or automatically brake a vehicle to avoid a crash, could improve safety, the report said.
Mark Chung, the EVP of roadway practice at the National Safety Council, said the group is hoping to prevent local officials from being blindsided by rapid changes in technology, as they have been over the last two decades with innovations such as ride-booking apps, electric scooters and bike sharing.
“Public officials, and many advocacy groups, were caught off guard by this unprecedented rate of technological change, and they were often unsure how to respond to the safety concerns that emerged,” Chung said. “Preparing in advance for the next generation of transformative technology and taking time to reflect on our current environment can save lives.”
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Source: Route Fifty
