Just a month after its founding, the Coalition for Future Mobility has announced the addition of new members – the American Highway Users Alliance (AHUA), the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) and the Automotive Service Association (ASA).

The Coalition is now a 12-stakeholder group calling for greater road safety, cleaner air and enhanced independence and self-sufficiency through the development and deployment of highly automated vehicle (HAV) technologies. Established in July, the group pushes for the advancement of legislation critical to the United States continuing to be a place of innovation and development for the life-saving technologies.

“This Congress has a tremendous opportunity to accelerate the deployment of automated technologies to save lives, reduce traffic congestion, reduce fuel use and carbon emissions, expand personal mobility and meet our nation’s current and future infrastructure, environmental and economic challenges,” the group said in a statement.

The coalition continued, “The list of benefits automation can provide touch every angle of personal mobility. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, 35,092 people died in traffic crashes in 2015, and 94 percent of all crashes include human error as a factor. HAVs can help address that.”

The group’s legislative priorities include:

• Congress providing clarity concerning appropriate federal and state roles when it comes to highly automated vehicles, particularly any state laws or regulations related to their design or performance;
• Congress directing the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to initiate rulemaking to update the current vehicle safety standards that do not contemplate highly automated vehicles; as well as,
• Expanding Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard exemptions, in number, duration and categories, to provide a safe mechanism for deploying highly automated vehicles.

The Coalition recently penned an “open letter to Congress” on the importance of legislation that fosters the continued growth of HAVs.

The new members join The Alliance for Transportation Innovation, the Auto Alliance, Global Automakers, Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association, the National Cued Speech Association, the National Federation of the Blind, Securing America’s Future Energy, Segs4Vets and 60 Plus in their ongoing efforts to educate and inform policymakers and other stakeholders of the life-saving potential of these technologies.

The group says that by adopting this forward-leaning approach to the development and deployment of self-driving vehicle technologies, Congress will send a clear signal that will help foster greater public acceptance, helping to bring a host of social benefits to roads across the country.

Find out more about the Coalition’s activities and the benefits of self-driving vehicles here.