On October 28, 2021, Ariel Wolf was featured on the Society of Automotive Engineers’ podcast, Tomorrow Today, where he discussed the policies needed to enhance public trust, maximize public deployment, and promote innovation to create a safer tomorrow through the deployment of autonomous vehicle (AV) technology.
According to the podcast, advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) and AV technologies are evolving at a rapid pace, but the development of safety mechanisms and conveniences won’t be fully realized if the public doesn’t understand them. “ADAS is not AV,” said Wolf, who serves as general counsel to the Self-Driving Coalition, a leading coalition of autonomous vehicle developers. “Both technologies have the potential to bring safety and convenience improvements, but they are different technologies that target different customers.”
“There’s a criticality associated with making sure we are clear about the differences in these technologies. If owners of ADAS equipped vehicles think that its ‘self-drive,’ then they can get hurt.” Wolf notes that while many ADAS systems contribute to crash avoidance and have other benefits, attributing to AVs the issues associated with ADAS could “drive down deployment because of concerns that are not well placed.”
The U.S. Department of Transportation has projected that AVs could significantly reduce the severity and frequency of crashes and fatalities. “We want to maximize deployment because it will bring safety to those communities,” Wolf added.
Click here to access the podcast.