1. Introduction

Driver and pedestrian fatalities entered a secular decline in the early 1970s, and this trend continued for nearly 40 years. But around 2010 this trend began to reverse. For example, pedestrian deaths bottomed out in 2009 at just over 4,100, but then climbed steadily until peaking at around 7,600 in 2022. In 2025, pedestrian fatalities remained well above their historical lows (6,700). Most of the increase in pedestrian deaths has been due to crashes at night. While no single cause explains the upward trend in crash-related fatalities, many factors are thought to contribute, including phones usage and in-cabin screens creating distractions, speeding, inadequate pedestrian infrastructure, weather hazards, and growing vehicle sizes.

Connected and automated vehicles (CAVs for short), by automating some or all of the dynamic driving task and sharpening driver awareness of the roadway environment and its potential hazards, help motorists become safer, more attentive drivers. Beyond delivering safe mobility for all transportation system users, CAVs improve travel time reliability, reduce congestion, and lower air pollution.

In 2022 KYTC published its Strategy for Connected and Automated Vehicles. This document sketched out how the agency could help public and private sector stakeholders leverage CAVs to improve transportation safety and efficiency. Since the Cabinet issued this document, the CAV landscape has evolved considerably and the agency has pursued several projects to build its capabilities in emerging vehicle technologies. These projects have helped staff better understand how CAVs will impact the long-term planning, development, and maintenance of Kentucky’s roads and bridges.

In 2023 KYTC wrapped up a project that implemented Automated Traffic Signal Performance Measures (ATSPMs) and Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC) infrastructure on US 231 in Bowling Green and KY 876/US 25 in Richmond. That year, the Cabinet also funded a planning study to evaluate the suitability of Interstate 64 between Lexington and Louisville as a CAV corridor.

Nationally, automated vehicle testing has accelerated, while the US Department of Transportation (USDOT) recently published its National Deployment Plan for Vehicle-to-Everything Technologies. These developments, alongside Kentucky’s recent legislation that authorizes the use of automated vehicles on state highways, motivated KYTC to produce a Strategy for Connected and Automated Vehicles Strategy Version 2.0. 

Version 2.0 is shorter and omits some of the background and historical information found in the first strategy. The first version remains archived on KYTC’s Strategy for Connected & Automated Vehicles Website. After providing a refresher on important terms, the strategy focuses on progress made in Kentucky (emphasizing legislation) and at the national level as well as steps the Cabinet will take to support the rollout of emerging vehicle technologies. Many steps appeared in Version 1.0, but they have been updated to reflect new developments.

2. Defining Connected Vehicles and Automated Vehicles

Connected vehicles (CVs) are equipped with in-vehicle or aftermarket devices that allow them to communicate data about their position, speed, trajectory, and other information. The messages broadcast and received by CV improve the situational awareness, mobility, and safety of users. Examples of messages include forward collision warnings, advisories that alert motorists of changes in driving conditions, suggested speeds for optimal progression, and red-light warnings.

For many years, dedicated short-range communications (DSRC) was seen as the likely foundation of CV communications. But a 2024 ruling by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) winds down the use of DSRC technologies and permits in-vehicle units and roadside units (RSUs) to operate cellular vehicle-to-everything (V2X) in 30 megahertz of the 5.9 GHz band dedicated to intelligent transportation systems. V2X enables communication between vehicles and everything in the roadway environment: pedestrians, bicyclists, other vehicles, and roadside infrastructure via direct and/or cellular networks.

AVs execute some or all facets of the dynamic driving task without a human driver controlling steering, acceleration, and/or deceleration. The SAE International taxonomy and J3016 levels of driving automation categorize vehicles based on which actions they automate (Table 1). Level 0 – 2 vehicles have one or more ADAS and can be purchased in the US today.

Level 3 – 5 vehicles integrate ADS that power their self-driving capabilities. ADS-equipped vehicles process data from onboard sensors, cameras, GPS, radar, sonar, and Lidar to perceive the environment and then plan for and control vehicle movements. In the US, only Mercedes-Benz currently sells Level 3 vehicles, but just in California and Nevada, where Level 3 automation can only be used on a limited number of access-controlled roadways.