Abstract:Pressure for roadway automation is growing, while at the same time technological capability is advancing rapidly. While there are many possible directions which might be explored, resources are limited. We examine policy issues associated with freeway automation, and identify certain areas that deserve research emphasis. Policy analysis can help to focus research in productive directions, and thereby help avoid some of the mistakes that have occurred in the past by jumping too rapidly into technology development, with inadequate understanding of the contextual issues.