Auto Show sponsors semi-autonomous cars in Ride Alongs for Hill staff, reporters
When Washington Auto Show organizers discovered that many of the federal agency staff who write regulations had not experienced a ride in vehicles equipped with smart car safety technology, they were determined to give the regulators that opportunity. As a result, numerous federal staff and reporters participated in semi-autonomous vehicle Ride Alongs at RFK Stadium in DC during MobilityTalks Conference on Jan. 24-25, before the Auto Show opened to the public.
The activity was sponsored by a U.S. Department of Transportation program called CAMP (Crash Avoidance Metrics Partnership). The ride experience showcased V2I, vehicle-to-infrastructure technology, through a public-private partnership between DOT and 10 automakers.
WANADA had a hospitality suite at RFK Stadium where the DOT gave an overview of the program. Participants then went to parking lot #7 to experience, first hand, the technology they had just been told about. Ten cars were equipped with the V2I technology. Three people at a time would climb into the car with an engineer, who demonstrated the technology as he drove.
The driving course had three different demonstrations where test vehicles supplied warning indicators that sounded when the driver or passengers were in danger. For instance, if the car was going too fast as it approached a sharp curve, the warning would sound.
Regulators came from DOT, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Federal Highway Administration, as did many Capitol Hill staffers and reporters. The response from most was they were glad to have experienced a cutting edge safety technology.
A delegation of eight members of the Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport also participated in the RFK Ride Along. The assistant minister for the agency, Kim Jeong-ryeol, who had spoken at the MobilityTalks the day before, was among the group. South Korea already has implemented V2I infrastructure.
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