The expansion of Automated Vehicle (AV) testing in Vermont represents a very slippery slope. At the upcoming June 29 joint board meeting of the Rockingham Selectboard and Bellows Falls Village Trustees, the boards are expected to discuss and possibly make a critical decision on AV testing on our public roads. As the state of Vermont continues to promote their AV testing program, citizens and officials need to be aware of the fatal flaw woven into the federal government’s Automated Vehicles Comprehensive Plan.
This plan from the U.S. Dept. of Transportation (USDOT) guides states and AV developers regarding testing but lacks any muscle to regulate, or to require transparency in the safety reporting. It is stunning that completely missing from the plan is a requirement for comprehensive safety reporting. AV developers and manufacturers only report safety data to agencies on a voluntary basis.
The expansion of Automated Vehicle (AV) testing in Vermont represents a very slippery slope. At the upcoming June 29 joint board meeting of the Rockingham Selectboard and Bellows Falls Village Trustees, the boards are expected to discuss and possibly make a critical decision on AV testing on our public roads. As the state of Vermont continues to promote their AV testing program, citizens and officials need to be aware of the fatal flaw woven into the federal government’s Automated Vehicles Comprehensive Plan.
This plan from the U.S. Dept. of Transportation (USDOT) guides states and AV developers regarding testing but lacks any muscle to regulate, or to require transparency in the safety reporting. It is stunning that completely missing from the plan is a requirement for comprehensive safety reporting. AV developers and manufacturers only report safety data to agencies on a voluntary basis.
The number of U.S. technology jobs that AV development may generate will pale compared to the many jobs AV promoters hope to eliminate. AVs eventually eliminating drivers altogether, especially commercial sector drivers, is one of the goals of AV lobbyists. If AVs become widely accepted, transportation jobs lost will include many of the 3.5 million-plus U.S. truckers (data from preliminary 2020 census). As for any claims of AVs improving highway safety: a complete and objective safety analysis remains elusive in the absence of required comprehensive safety data reporting by AV developers and manufacturers.
Added to the above points is how our state and federal government’s ongoing effort to gain authorization for AV use on public roads is not based on demonstrated need. A prudent response by municipal boards will be tabling the issue for at least 5 years, only to be revisited if the USDOT and other governing agencies revise critical sections of the Automated Vehicles Comprehensive Plan and related documents. Revisions must include comprehensive safety data reporting by AV developers and manufacturers. Until an extensive and excellent AV safety record can be verified and studied, municipalities should reject the requests by state or federal governments for resolutions or approvals for AV testing.
Andrew Smith
Bellows Falls, VT
As your daily newspaper, we are committed to providing you with important local news coverage for Sullivan County and the surrounding areas.