Senator Gary Peters Calls for Bipartisan Action on Autonomous Vehicles (AVs)
Photo credit: Calvin Tuttle/University of Michigan, College of Engineering, UMTRI
Gary Peters, Senior Senator from Michigan, has urged that the upcoming surface transportation reauthorization bill include a bipartisan framework for autonomous vehicles (AVs). The most recent surface transportation reauthorization, as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), is set to expire at the end of September 2026, and included funding for the University Transportation Centers program in 2023.
During a Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee hearing on AVs, Senator Gary Peters spoke with experts in the field about how legislators should approach the technology’s relative safety and how best to work with the industry on vehicles built in the United States. Professor Bryant Walker-Smith, who spoke at the 2023 Center for Connected and Automated Transportation (CCAT) Global Symposium on Mobility Innovation, about the future of AVs, stated that it was essential not to have static standards and that the bar for performance must continue to rise.
“This year is critical for transportation bill reauthorization. Hopefully, our work will help to demonstrate the importance of the UTC program and its real-world impact. Let’s work together to get UTC reauthorized”
Dr. Henry Liu, Director, Center for Connected and Automated Transportation (CCAT)
CCAT plays a key role in promoting connected and automated transportation research, education, workforce development, and technology transfer activities, all of which are critical to the future of the region’s economy. In their 2018 annual report to Congress, the UTC program named CCAT the UTC with focused research on connected and automated vehicles, a requirement of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act.
In January, CCAT was awarded the Technology Transfer Leadership Award by the Council of University Transportation Centers during the TRB Annual Meeting. In his written remarks, CCAT Director Dr. Henry Liu, emphasized the importance of getting the UTC program reauthorized. This follows Dr. Liu’s testimony to the U.S. House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology’s Subcommittee on Research and Technology on the importance of the U.S. Department of Transportation-funded research program alongside Darcy Bullock. On February 11th, Dr. Liu will be invited back to testify before the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee’s Research & Technology Subcommittee. Dr. Liu will share my priorities for strengthening U.S. surface transportation research: reauthorizing the University Transportation Centers (UTC) Program, establishing a rigorous national framework for autonomous-vehicle safety testing and evaluation, and advancing digital infrastructure to modernize America’s roadways.
This story was written by Calvin Tuttle of the Center for Connected and Automated Transportation (CCAT).