Autonomous Truck Mounted Attenuators (ATMA) are semi-autonomous vehicles that deploy a Truck Mounted Attenuator (TMA) with a driverless truck. TMA units are used to protect both highway maintenance workers and motorists. Maintenance workers deploy TMA units to create a protected area downstream of the TMA, and an errant motorist is stopped in an attenuated manner rather than impacting workers or a maintenance vehicle directly. The ATMA allows a highway maintenance worker to remotely operate the TMA. Removing the operator from the ATMA improves their safety, as they are removed from a potential impact event.

Given TMA users’ experience with impact events, it is certain that ATMA units will be impacted by motorists as well. Legal action will follow, as the insurance provider of the motorist at fault will seek to minimize their financial liability by transferring blame onto the automated device, the ATMA. Therefore, potential owners of ATMA units require guidance as to how to document the operation and maintenance of these devices. ATMA owners also require guidance as to proper actions and documentation after an impact event or other incident.

A proposed method to prepare for an impact event is to complete a “tabletop exercise”, where a team of ATMA owners, operators, crash reconstructionists, and legal claims professionals evaluate several crash scenarios. The team will develop guidelines for proper documentation of operation and maintenance of ATMA units and provide guidance for appropriate post incident actions.

The deliverables shall consist of guidance documents, namely:

1. The required documentation of the operation and maintenance of ATMA units for legal defense.

2. The required actions and documentation after an incident.

3. Summary of three crash scenario ‘table top’ exercises, with incident response, post incident actions, and expected legal actions from those involved including but not limited to the adverse driver, ATMA owner employees, ATMA manufacturer, and ATMA owner financing and bonding entities.