The Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA) and the Heavy Duty Manufacturers Association (HDMA) have joined Partners for Automated Vehicle Education (PAVE), a coalition of industry, nonprofit and academic institutions working to inform and educate the public and policymakers on the facts regarding automated vehicles so that they can fully participate in shaping the future of our roads and highways.

“PAVE’s goal is purely educational: the coalition does not advocate for a particular technology or for specific public policies. Its members believe that in order to fully realize the benefits of driverless technology, policymakers and the public need factual information about the present and future state of technology and its potential benefits,” PAVE said.

PAVE helps enhance public understanding of driverless technology through:

• An educational website and social media channels;
• “Hands-on” demonstrations allowing the public to see and experience driverless technology;
• Educational toolkits for auto dealers to help dealer personnel — often the key interface between vehicle designers and vehicle customers — educate their customers about driverless technology; and
• Policy-maker workshops designed to provide officials at local, state and national levels understand driverless technology so they can make the best decisions for their constituents.

“This goal fits perfectly with MEMA’s longtime effort to help shape the future of vehicle technology by educating policymakers about innovations that can improve and save lives,” MEMA President and CEO Bill Long said. “Our members are at the core of developing and implementing these automated vehicle technologies. Advancing them through solid, fact-based education is essential.”