Manufacturers are working to figure out how fully automated driving systems could safely work in cities across the country. That's where the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) comes in. Gibran Ali, a senior research associate, says VTTI was approached by the National Institute of Standards and Technology to create an online database to help answer those questions. VTTI researchers used publicly available data on weather patterns, roadways and even fatal crash statistics in 30 U.S. cities to create the operational design domain element quantification tool. The goal is to help automated vehicle manufacturers and governments identify the best cities to roll out self-driving cars.

Last month, Northern Virginia residents were startled to see a grey Ford Transit Connect van motoring around their neighborhood--without a driver inside. OK, not quite: Further inspection revealed that there was a driver inside but that he was concealed inside a costume that made him look like an empty car seat. Virginia Tech Transportation Institute took credit--nay, responsibility--for car seat man but wouldn't reveal more. Today, we know the truth. Car seat man was part of a Ford-funded study by researchers at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute into how autonomous vehicles will interact with humans on the road.