Cooperative Automated Transportation (CAT)

Cooperative Automated Transportation

Roadway safety in a cooperative automated world

Highway automation is not years away, or even days away. It’s here now, causing a number of state transportation agencies to react with initiatives related to preparing and supporting Connected Automated Vehicles (CAVs) on U.S. roadways.


Connected and Automated Vehicles (CAVs)

Cooperative Automated Transportation (CAT) deals with CAVs, which are vehicles capable of driving on their own with limited or no human involvement in navigation and control. Per the definition adopted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there are six levels of automation (Levels 0-2: driver assistance and Levels 3-5: HAV), each of which requires its own specification and marketplace considerations.


Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) and Connected and Automated Vehicles (CAVs)

For traffic safety, vehicle-to-everything communications is the wireless exchange of critical safety and operational data between vehicles and anything else. The "X" could be roadway infrastructure, other vehicles, roadway workers or other safety and communication devices. ATSSA members are at the forefront of these technologies, and are working with stakeholders across new industries to see these innovations come to life.


Sensor Technology

CAVs rely on three main groups of sensors: camera, radar, and Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR). The camera sensors capture moving objects and the outlines of roadway devices to get speed and distance data. Short- and long-range radar sensors work to detect traffic from the front and the back of CAVs. LIDAR systems produce three-dimensional images of both moving and stationary objects.


For more information about ATSSA’s efforts on CAT and CAV’s and their interaction with our member products check out the resources below.




Resources

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/ Categories: ATSSA

ATSSA’s 2022 Annual Report now available

ATSSA’s Annual Report for 2022 is now available online and details the ways the Association spent the year “Connecting & Collaborating” to advance roadway safety.

The report recalls the highlights of a year in which the roadway safety infrastructure industry reunited in Tampa, Fla., for ATSSA’s 52nd Annual Convention & Traffic Expo after a pause on an in-person event.

The connections made and advanced there helped carry members through the challenges of inflation and supply chains, proving the benefit of networking at this annual event. Collaboration continued throughout the year as members held events to mark National Work Zone Awareness Week in April and gathered in the nation’s capital in June to take the roadway safety message directly to federal legislators during the Legislative Briefing & Fly-In. The Midyear Meeting in Rhode Island in August provided another opportunity to connect and collaborate on solving industry issues. And throughout 2022, ATSSA’s 28 chapters gathered for 83 meetings and events.

ATSSA staff and members collaborated on topics such as the flicker rate, raw materials shortage, the future of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), training requirements, flagging procedures, vulnerable road users and the final rule for pavement marking retroreflectivity.

ATSSA also nurtured relationships in statehouses across the country, interacting with state legislators, lieutenant governors and governors. In addition, the Association signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the 5G Automotive Association (5GAA)—a coalition that promotes standardized protocols for vehicles using 5G communications—and collaborated on the Work Zone Data Exchange (WZDx) and with groups such as the Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITS America) and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO).

ATSSA updated its Guardrail Installation Technician course in 2022, streamlined its process for students to get their flagger cards and in May launched two new Traffic Signals courses. ATSSA also began helping members navigate the arena of legal liability.

The message of ATSSA and The ATSS Foundation continued spreading through display of the National Work Zone Memorial at 13 sites across the nation, reaching more than 8,650 people. Plus, The Foundation continued supporting the sons and daughters of industry members permanently disabled or killed in work zones by providing Roadway Worker Memorial Scholarships, and in April partnered with Work Zone Safe to launch a national Teen Driver Program that focuses on equipping new drivers to safely navigate work zones.

Check out all of the details in ATSSA’s 2022 Annual Report: Connecting & Collaborating.

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Tags: national work zone memorial ITS america MUTCD Work Zone Data Exchange ATSSA Annual Report 5GAA WZDx
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