Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA) officials said the organization is collaborating with Partners for Automated Vehicle Education (PAVE) to provide education on the transportation initiative.
PAVE is a coalition of industry, nonprofit and academic institutions to inform and educate the public and policymakers on automated vehicle facts, as a means of aiding full participation in shaping the future of the nation’s roads and highways.
“PAVE’s goal is purely educational: the coalition does not advocate for a particular technology or for specific public policies,” PAVE stated. “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.”
MEMA President and CEO Bill Long said PAVE’s goal fits with MEMA’s effort to aid in shaping the future of vehicle technology by educating policymakers about innovations that can improve and save lives.
“Our members are at the core of developing and implementing these automated vehicle technologies,” he said. “Advancing them through solid, fact-based education is essential.”
PAVE’s education offerings include a website and social media channels; demonstrations allowing the public to see and experience driverless technology; toolkits for auto dealers to help dealer personnel educate their customers about driverless technology; and policymaker workshops designed to provide officials at local, state, and national levels understand driverless technology to make the best decisions for their constituents.