UFTI Director Dr. Lily Elefteriadou participated in a panel of industry experts at an HNTB “Think: Infrastructure Forum” on August 18, 2015, in Orlando, Fla. The group of more than 40 leaders, experts and thinkers met for 2-hours to engage in discussions on key topics important to the transportation industry. The main topic of the discussion was on “Automated and Connected Vehicles.” This new transportation technology will affect drivers and pedestrians, including car manufacturers, state DOTs, commercial trucking and logistics, companies, transportation engineers, consultants, the insurance industry and legislation.
Dr. Elefteriadou is conducting extensive research in this area and has received funding from the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and the National Science Foundation (NSF). She said forums such as the one hosted by HNTB are vital to the future of automated and connected vehicles.
“Having those types of discussions is essential in exploring the potential impact of these new technologies, anticipating problems, and taking full advantage of their potential to improve safety and increase mobility,” Elefteriadou said.
Also in attendance was Dr. Siva Srinivasan, an associate professor in civil engineering at the UFTI. Dr. Srinivasan is exploring the policy side of automated and connected vehicles.
“Policy makers have a challenging task of fostering an environment of innovation while ensuring public safety,” he said. “FDOT’s approach of pilot testing of alternate ideas coupled with an active program of education via the annual symposium is critical for developing good policies.”
Experts in attendance agreed on the following points related to the topic of automated and connected vehicles: 1) managing and collecting data from automated vehicles is a top priority, 2) traffic fatalities and injuries will be decreased because autonomous vehicles are safer, 3) traffic congestion will be reduced as these type of vehicles minimize roadway usage decreasing the need to build or expand roads, and 4) because more and more autonomous commercial vehicles will be on roadways, transportation professionals will need to be trained in this area. The group also agreed that liability issues related to autonomous and connected vehicles must be explored further to asses risk, responsibility, ownership, and legislation.
In addition to Dr. Elefteriadou, panelists included Sen. Jeff Brandes; Chair of Florida’s Senate Transportation Committee; Brian Blanchard, Assistant Secretary for Engineering and Operations at Florida DOT; Javier Rodriguez, Executive Director of the Miami-Dade Expressway Authority; and Jim Barbaresso, National Practice Leader, Intelligent Transportation Systems, HNTB. The event was moderated by Dr. David Metcalf who is the director of the Mixed Emerging Technology Integration Laboratory at the University of Central Florida in Orlando.
For an edited transcription of this event, click here