People TRANSPORTATION CHALLENGES FOR POLICY MAKERS-BREAKING THROUGH THE SAFETY BARRIER
The lack of any real federal policy attention to the promise of self-driving has created a vacuum that state policy makers are starting to fill with unilateral sets of laws and regulatory concepts. unfortunately, these efforts clearly fall in the area of “public safety.’ This may please the public, but will do next to nothing to take advantage of the promise of the new technology and I urge policy makers and lawmakers to either abandon or radically reframe any further efforts based on those concerns.
What? Don’t worry about safety? Well safety concerns are based on fear and ideas of perfection. It will be decades before self-driving vehicles are the majority of vehicles on the road and in terms of safety they have already proven themselves in limited conditions. In fact, one of the main complaints about these cars is that other drivers acuse them of driving too cautiously.
Hey
Well that’s only one reason why I would like to see safety dropped as the primary topic of the legislative perspectives I believe that you as decision makers are avoiding some of the questions that need to be answered and some of the most promising aspects of the future of mobility and giving up a chance to make real social change.
Clearly it is possible to configure this new vehicles in many new ways and some of these could make these vehicles far easier for people with disabilities to ride in and drive. Yet to date no regulations or legislation has suggested production quotas making it necessary to produce accessible vehicles. If we get to aelf driving status (which we will) what aregoing to be the standards by which a blind person can be an independent rider/operator of one of these vehicles? What are going to the strength tolerances (like how many pounds of pressure it will take to enter and exit a vehicle so that people with fibromyalgia can take advantage of these options? We have codes regarding how many parking spots need to be available. Why not have numbers of how many wheelchair accessible vehicles need to be produced. One of therein barriers for chair users now is cost because either to buy a new van and have it converted or a used van with access built in is extraordinarily expensive and that is combined with the fact that people with disabilities are often unemployed or chronically underemployed? Policies alone on production could provide a better marketplace. A recent study (just look it up on google) already talks about the robust expansion in assistive tech market for people with disabilities and seniors—why can’t the laws make it consistantandadd the car makers and transportation providers to this trend?
I suspect I could applaud the lawmakers for keeping people who can’t drive today saft and off the roads. After all we are safe sitting watching TV in our living rooms and from our chairs, and from our beds in nursing homes. Oh so what if we live with higher rates of depression and chronic pain? So what if it goes for seniors too?
After all it is very important that wekeep everyone safe. Because we keepprisoners safe from the outside world of traffic accidents too don’t we?
Yes I am suggesting lawmakers and even some safety experts are forgetting the freedom that these vehicles could produce for people who will never have a better chance at participation in a mobile society. I am suggesting that now is the time to act because how often do you see people tearing out steps to put up ramps? Access after the fact is plain and simple justice delayed and often justice denied.
I
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