DOT Announces Automation Proving Ground Program

U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx announced Nov. 23 the launch of the department’s Automation Proving Ground pilot program.

DOT will designate facilities as qualified proving grounds for the safe testing, demonstration and deployment of automated vehicle technology. Applications will be accepted through Dec. 19 from test tracks/testing facilities, racetracks, cities or urban cores, highway corridors and campuses (corporate or academic).

"We believe that by designating facilities as part of a community of practice, we can foster a safe environment for these entities to share best practices related to testing and developing this technology,” Foxx said in a press release.

The Automation Proving Ground, Foxx said, follows such DOT programs as the Smart City Challenge, the Federal Automated Vehicle Policy and the Advisory Committee on Automation in Transportation in “ushering in these innovations that will transform transportation as we know it."

"We are setting a new foundation for this technology to be safely leveraged and implemented into the coming decades. … Our hope is that by designating Automation Proving Grounds, we will be able to build on that safety effort while taking advantage of these advanced technologies in a responsible way.”