Self-Driving Vehicles Will Save Our Lives and Benefit Everyone, CTA Will Tell House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee

ARLINGTON, VA - November 15, 2016: Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), will testify before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce’s Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade on the future of self-driving vehicles. Shapiro’s testimony will urge federal and state lawmakers to work with automakers, technology companies and other allied industries to develop policies that allow for innovation and testing of self-driving vehicles and driver assistance technology.

“As self-driving vehicles and advanced driver-assist technologies surface on our roadways, our society has an opportunity to make the United States a leader in smarter and safer transportation options,” said Shapiro. “Properly implemented, fully driverless cars have safety, environmental and accessibility benefits that will help all Americans and increase mobility opportunities, especially for seniors and people with disabilities. With the proper regulatory framework in place and properly balanced between states and the federal government, we can dramatically reduce crashes caused by human error and eliminate up to 90 percent of traffic fatalities. What we need is uniformity across state lines and rules that keep pace with technological progress to make sure life-saving innovations can be tested and deployed quickly.”

Recent CTA research shows the vast majority of consumers (three in four) are excited about the many benefits driverless vehicles can offer, and almost two-thirds want to swap in their current cars for completely self-driving models. Additionally, nearly all drivers who are already using existing driver-assist features such as parking assist, adaptive cruise control and collision avoidance appreciate the usefulness of these driving technology innovations.

At CES 2017, owned and produced by the CTA, the Self-Driving Technology Marketplace will feature exhibits from Autoliv, Clarion, Delphi, IAV, NVIDIA, NXP, Valeo and more. Vehicle technology will span more than 200 net square feet, with 128 exhibitors in 2017.

About Consumer Technology Association:
Consumer Technology Association (CTA), is the trade association representing the $287 billion U.S. consumer technology industry. More than 2,200 companies – 80 percent are small businesses and startups; others are among the world’s best known brands – enjoy the benefits of CTA membership including policy advocacy, market research, technical education, industry promotion, standards development and the fostering of business and strategic relationships. The Consumer Technology Association also owns and produces CES - the world’s gathering place for all who thrive on the business of consumer technologies. Profits from CES are reinvested into CTA’s industry services.

UPCOMING EVENTS

• CES Unveiled Las Vegas
  January 3, Las Vegas, NV

• CES 2017 – Register
  January 5-8, Las Vegas, NV

• CES Asia 2017
  June 7-9, Shanghai, China