Several of these technologies have been featured at CES. At CES 2018, Carol Staninger, a passionate advocate for the welfare of children and president of Ancer, exhibited for the first time at age 82. After seeing news stories about children and dogs accidentally left in hot cars, Staninger decided she could make a difference through technology. Staninger invented a presence detector and alarm device called Save Our Loved Ones (SOLO) to prevent children, pets or seniors being left alone in cars. Many other entrepreneurs have introduced devices to solve this problem using connected car seats, apps and Bluetooth devices. Each help remind parents to check the back seat.
Shapiro also highlighted the potential of self-driving vehicles, which can eliminate most of the nearly 40,000 roadway deaths a year in the U.S. At CES 2019, more than 170 vehicle technology exhibitors showcased the latest in self-driving technology — from Bosch’s all-electric, self-driving pod to Qualcomm’s 5G-enabled self-driving chipset. These innovators underscored how self-driving technology will save lives, boost our economy and open a world of possibilities for passengers.
Driver-assist and add-on technology was also highlighted in Shapiro’s testimony. While fully self-driving vehicles are still years away, the aftermarket industry provides a valuable service in allowing consumers to add life-saving technologies to vehicles they already own. As the average age of vehicles on the road today tops 11 years, aftermarket solutions will continue to play a critical role in increasing the use of vehicle safety technologies. This technology is already saving lives, avoiding accidents and paving the way for completely self-driving innovations still to come.
Shapiro also encouraged legislators to update our safety laws and provide a national regulatory path forward for self-driving vehicles. Last year, the SELF DRIVE Act, which CTA supported, passed out of the House unanimously but died in the Senate. This important legislation would have been a jump start toward adapting our vehicle safety laws to address self-driving technology and would have created more opportunities for testing and deployment. Shapiro urged Congress to revisit this issue and keep the U.S. at the forefront of self-driving innovation.
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