Enhancing Transportation Policy and Planning for Safety
Transportation policy studies and improved planning are essential for furthering goals of the University Transportation Centers and the US Department of Transportation. This project is intended to build upon long-standing and successful activities in these areas. Three tasks are envisioned. First, the research team will continue to produce policy briefs and professional papers on safety and enhancing usage of battery electric vehicles (BEV). In their 2024-2025 Safety21 project, a forthcoming policy brief and papers were developed on light duty BEV safety and policies to enhance adoption of BEV (Naiek 2024, Harper 2024, Hendrickson 2025). Safety concerns addressed included BEV fires, vehicle weight and stopping distance. Enhancing adoption was informed from ownership characteristics compiled from the 2022 National Household Travel Survey and existing purchase subsidies (Wang 2024). In 2025-2026, the team proposes to extend this work to other vehicle types (notably trucks) and a focus on workforce training, particularly vehicle technicians and first responders to crashes and environmental hazards (such as floods). BEV have particular needs for avoiding electrical shocks and short circuits. The team expects to contribute to a series of policy briefs on BEV in the next year. Second, the team will continue activities intended to promote adoption of effective vehicle automation. In their 2024-2025 project, the team actively participated in National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) studies on road safety research (NASEM 2024), critical issues in transportation (NASEM 2024), a global Council of Academies of Engineering and Technological Societies (CAETS) study on the e-mobility transformation (ICAETS 2024), and an empirical study of partial automation impacts. The weekly Safety21 Smart Transportation Dispatch (produced by project participant Karen Lightman) features safety improvements due to new technologies. In the coming year, the team plans to actively comment on proposed federal and state rules regarding automation, respond to requests for information, and track performance of partial automation vehicles in a policy brief. This coming year has several likely rule-making activities, potential vehicle manufacturer announcements on partial automation, examination of the TESLA driving system, and possible implementation of the NASEM 2024 study recommendations. Monitoring and influencing these changes is a challenging task. Third, project participants will continue to work with Regional Industrial Development Corporation (RIDC) in the planning for Pennsylvania Safety Transportation and Research Track (PennSTART), a safety, training and research facility for autonomous vehicle testing and emergency responders. The results of both tasks 1 and 2 can help inform appropriate test scenarios for PennSTART. PennSTART capital expenditures will be used for project match. Carnegie Mellon researchers include Chris Hendrickson (Hamerschlag University Professor of Engineering Emeritus), Corey Harper (Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering), and Karen Lightman (Executive Director of Safety21 UTC). Full references appear in a supplemental information document due to space limitations here.
- Record URL:
Language
- English
Project
- Status: Completed
- Funding: $190,000.00
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Contract Numbers:
69A3552344811
69A3552348316
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Sponsor Organizations:
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology
University Transportation Centers Program
Department of Transportation
Washington, DC United States 20590 -
Managing Organizations:
Safety21 University Transportation Center
Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA United States 15213Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA United States -
Performing Organizations:
Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA United States -
Principal Investigators:
Hendrickson, Chris
Harper, Corey
Lightman, Karen
- Start Date: 20250701
- Expected Completion Date: 20260831
- Actual Completion Date: 20260831
- USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Autonomous vehicles; Connected vehicles; Electric vehicles; Policy, legislation and regulation; Training; Transportation planning; Vehicle safety; Vehicle tests
- Subject Areas: Education and Training; Highways; Motor Carriers; Planning and Forecasting; Policy; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 02002844
- Record Type: Research project
- Source Agency: Safety21 University Transportation Center
- Contract Numbers: 69A3552344811, 69A3552348316
- Files: UTC, RIP
- Created Date: Sep 17 2026 2:00PM