Organizers
Johanna Zmud, Texas A&M Transportation Institute
Kristin Kolodge, J.D. Power
Barbara Lenz, DLR
Ipek N. Sener, Texas A&M Transportation Institute
Andrew Phillips, Transport Canada
Session Description
Are we cruising into a driverless future? We hear a lot about the technology advancing; but, what about consumer interest? Past AVS sessions have usually focused on the highest possible levels of automation. But lower levels of automation are becoming more common in the vehicle fleet. We can learn a lot about consumer interest in driverless vehicles by examining consumer acceptance, trust and understanding of these lower levels. This session facilitates information sharing and dialogue among policy makers, researchers, and industry to understand how everyday people think about and engage with advanced vehicle technologies.
Goals/Objectives/Outputs
- Examine the key policy issues and learn recent research findings
- Explore the variations in naming conventions for automated vehicle technologies and how people learn to use new vehicle technologies
- Identify the implications for the perceptions of trust and safety, user acceptance, and traveler behavior
- Discuss the roles of different stakeholders in consumer learning and public education
- Discuss implications for public acceptance of vehicles at higher levels of automation
- Discuss next steps in terms of consumer education and policy making
Agenda
1:30 PM – 3:00 PM Policy and Consumer Education
Panel presentations followed by a lengthy Q&A
Moderator:
- David Friedman, Vice President Advocacy, Consumer Reports
Panelists:
- Dee Williams, Deputy Associate Administrator, Vehicle Safety Research, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
- Kelly Nantel, Vice President for Communications and Advocacy, National Safety Council
- Greg Brannon, Director, Automotive Engineering and Industry Relations, AAA National Office
- Andrew Phillips, Manager, Automated and Connected Vehicle Safety Programs, Transport Canada
3:00PM – 3:30 PM Break
3:30 PM – 5:00 PM Public Acceptance and Trust
Panel presentations followed by a lengthy Q&A
Moderator:
- Johanna Zmud, Multimodal Planning Division Head, Senior Research Scientist, Texas A&M Transportation Institute
Panelists:
- Susan McMeen, Director, Office of Consumer Information, NHTSA
- Jake Fisher, Director, Auto Testing, Consumer Reports
- Bryan Reimer, Research Scientist, MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics, Researcher, AgeLab, and Associate Director, New England University Transportation Center
- Tom Alkim, Policy Officer Connected and Automated Driving, DG Research and Innovation, European Commission
5:00 PM – 5:30 PM Conclusion
Moderator:
- Barbara Lenz, Director, DLR Institute of Transport Research
- Ipek Sener, Texas A&M Transportation Institute
What does this mean (and what are the recommendations) for public acceptance, consumer education, and policy regarding driverless vehicles?