The White House and the US Department of Transportation (USDOT) have issued a policy initiative to unify efforts in automated vehicles across US federal departments and other agencies to provide 'high-level guidance' to stakeholders on the US government's approach to automated vehicles.

The initiative, 'Ensuring American Leadership in Automated Vehicle Technologies: Automated Vehicles 4.0' (AV 4.0) has been announced by US Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao.

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The USDOT says AV 4.0 unifies efforts in automated vehicles across 38 Federal departments, independent agencies, commissions, and Executive Offices of The President, providing high-level guidance to state and local governments, innovators, and all stakeholders on the US government's approach towards AVs.

"AV 4.0 will ensure American leadership in AV technology development and integration by providing unified guidance for the first time across the Federal government for innovators and stakeholders," said US Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao.

AV 4.0 establishes federal principles for the development and integration of automated vehicles, consisting of three core focus areas: prioritise safety and security, promote innovation, and ensure a consistent regulatory approach. It also outlines ongoing Administration efforts supporting AV technology growth and leadership, as well as opportunities for collaboration including federal investments in the AV sector and resources for innovators, researchers, and the public.

"AV 4.0 brings all of the important work happening on automated vehicle technologies across the federal government under one unified approach. The federal principles released today help foster an environment for innovators to advance safe AV technologies, and put the U.S. in a position of continued leadership in the future of transportation," said U.S. Chief Technology Officer Michael Kratsios.

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The USDOT says it is actively preparing for emerging technologies by engaging with new technologies to address legitimate public concerns about safety, security, and privacy without hampering innovation. With the release of Automated Driving Systems 2.0: A Vision for Safety (ADS 2.0) in September 2017, the USDOT provided voluntary guidance to industry, as well as technical assistance and best practices to states, offering a path forward for the safe testing and integration of Automated Driving Systems. In October 2018, Preparing for the Future of Transportation: Automated Vehicles 3.0 (AV 3.0) introduced guiding principles for AV innovation for all surface transportation modes, and described the USDOT's strategy to address existing barriers to potential safety benefits and progress.

USDOT says AV 4.0 builds on these efforts by presenting a unifying posture to inform collaborative efforts in automated vehicles for all stakeholders and outlines past and current Federal Government efforts to ensure the United States 'leads the world in AV technology development and integration while prioritizing safety, security, and privacy and safeguarding the freedoms enjoyed by Americans'.

AV 4.0 will be published in the Federal Register for public review and comment. More information on the USDOT's work on automated vehicles can be found at https://www.transportation.gov/av/4.