Autonomous vehicle technology will significantly change the way people travel by car. The driverless car or self-driving car is capable of scanning its environment for potential hazards on the road. “This technology offers the possibility of significant benefits to social welfare – saving lives; reducing crashes, congestion, fuel consumption, and pollution; increasing mobility for the disabled; and ultimately improving land use” (http://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR443-2.html). Autonomous vehicle technology in California is slowly progressing, but Caltrans has yet to include information of this technology in their 2015-2020 Caltrans Strategic Management Plan (SMP). Although autonomous vehicle technology is not in the 2015-2020 SMP, …show more content…
The 2015-2020 SMP Mission statement is “Provide a safe, sustainable, integrated and efficient transportation system to enhance California’s economy and livability. The Vision statement is “A performance-driven, transparent and accountable organization that values its people, resources and partners, and meets new challenges through leadership innovation and teamwork. With the rapid growth of autonomous vehicles and advanced technology, California will likely see significant changes to the automobile industry before 2020. In the 2015-2020 SMP, Caltrans developed and defined five goals: Safety and Health; Steward and Efficiency; Sustainability, Livability, and Economy; System Performance; and Organizational Excellence. As mentioned in the lecture slide, “ Effective strategic planning articulates not only where wan organization is going and the actions needed to make progress, but also how it will know if it is successful.” The future of autonomous vehicles is approaching, but Caltrans has failed to mentioned these technology and innovations in their 2015-2020