According to a survey conducted by Morning Consult, 57% of respondents support the use of autonomous vehicles (AVs) to help improve the independence of seniors and people with disabilities.
AVs, also known as self-driving vehicles, hold the potential to allow both seniors and those with disabilities to more easily get to places like work, school, or the doctor’s office, improving independence, educational and work outcomes and quality of life, according to a media release from the Coalition for Future Mobility.
“Blind people are able to live independent, productive lives with the assistance of alternative tools and techniques,” says Mark Riccobono, president of the National Federation of the Blind, in the release.
“For example, we use Braille to gain information, as we recently demonstrated by sending Braille materials to members of Congress. Currently, however, the fact that we must rely on mass transit, ride-share or other services for transportation limits our flexibility and can present barriers to opportunity. Autonomous vehicles have tremendous potential to remove those barriers and expand the independence of the blind and others with disabilities,” Riccobono continues.
The Coalition for Future Mobility, established in July 2017, advocates for the testing and deployment of autonomous vehicle technology, comprises a wide range of groups representing individuals with disabilities, the elderly, veterans, environmentalists, automotive companies, and the technology industry.
Now comprised of 35 stakeholders the coalition calls for greater road safety, cleaner air, and enhanced independence and self-sufficiency. It calls on the US Senate to pass the AV START Act, which it describes as legislation that is critical to the United States continuing to be a place of innovation and development for related life-saving technologies, the release continues.
[Source(s): Coalition for Future Mobility, PR Newswire]
