In 2019, 234 work zone related crashes occurred on North Dakota highways, resulting in 64 injuries and two fatalities. To combat the issue, the North Dakota Department of Transportation (NDDOT) used a grant from the Federal Highway Administration to improve work zone safety with an “autonomous impact protection vehicle.” Impact protection vehicles are usually driven by humans and used to protect construction crews from other drivers on the road who are not paying attention to the construction site or have lost control of their vehicle. A crew member will remotely control the autonomous vehicle, but no humans will be inside during shifts.
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Photo courtesy of the North Dakota Department of Transportation.
