ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — The Michigan Department of Transportation is conducting an online survey of the autonomous vehicle industry.

Responses will help MDOT and the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor figure out what's needed for a successful testing environment in southeast Michigan.

Autonomous vehicles can communicate with other vehicles and the surrounding environment to safely get to their destinations. The technology could potentially reduce traffic crashes by taking the human elements of reaction time and distraction out of the driving process.

State Transportation Director Kirk Steudle says in a statement the survey "will play a pivotal role in determining what autonomous vehicle and robotics manufacturers need as a platform to further develop, test and deploy this technology."