Autonomous vehicles, which would carry out many or all of their functions without the intervention of a driver, may bring sweeping social and economic changes in their wake. The elderly, disabled Americans, urban residents, and those who do not own a car may have new travel options. Travel on public roads and highways could become less congested. Highway travel could become safer as well: U.S. roadway fatalities rose in 2015 and 2016, the first annual increases in more than 50 years, and a study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has shown that 94% of crashes are due to human errors, which autonomous vehicles could reduce. As a U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) report noted, highly automated vehicles 'hold a learning advantage over humans. While a human driver may repeat the same mistakes as millions before them, a [highly automated vehicle] can benefit from the data and experience drawn from thousands of other vehicles on the road.'
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