Investigate the Impacts of Cybersecurity Breaches on Connected and Automated Vehicles (CAVs) and Road Safety

Investigator(s):

• Kailai Wang, University of Houston, ORCID # 0000-0002-5597-6823, Houston, TX (PI)

Project Description:

Figure 1. Potential Dimension for Developing Cyber-Safe Road Environments for CAVs

The rapid emergence of connected and automated vehicles (CAVs) has ushered in a transformative era in road transportation, offering unprecedented safety potential alongside new challenges. This research project shall develop a comprehensive framework to better understand the integration of CAVs into diverse road environments while maximizing their benefits, leveraging multiple publicly available data sources. This project aims to develop a standardized safety assessment framework for CAVs, ensuring their safe coexistence with conventional vehicles as well as vulnerable road users. As the deployment of CAVs in urban and rural settings requires careful consideration of multiple variables, this project shall account for factors such as infrastructure readiness, public acceptance, and socioeconomic implications (as shown in Figure 1). Moreover, this project shall analyze primary cybersecurity challenges specific to CAVs and designing robust mechanisms to mitigate associated risks. By countering potential cyber threats, the study contributes to the long-term viability and safety of CAV operations.