June 16, 2020—The Department of Transportation on Monday announced eight states that have signed on as the first participants in a new initiative to improve the safety and testing transparency of automated driving systems. The program is called the Automated Vehicle Transparency and Engagement for Safe Testing (AV TEST) Initiative. 

Companies that plan to participate in the AV TEST Initiative include: Fiat Chrysler, Beep, Cruise, Local Motors, Navya, Nuro, Toyota, Uber, and Waymo. States included in the program are: California, Florida, Texas, Maryland, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Utah. 

The AV TEST Initiative will include a series of public events across the country to improve transparency and safety in the development and testing of automated driving systems, a press release noted. Participants can share information about their activities, which will help increase the public’s awareness of testing.

Additionally, this voluntary initiative will provide an online, public-facing platform for sharing automated driving systems testing activities and other safety-related information with the public. Online mapping tools may show testing locations, as well as testing activity data, which may include dates, frequency, vehicle counts, and routes.