Dr. Rory Cooper remembers when the idea of autonomous vehicles first crossed his radar. It was 1994. Engineers were exploring how innovations like intelligent highways and lane-following technology could make roadways and vehicles safer. Cooper, an engineer, had just founded the Human Engineering Research Laboratories (HERL) at the University of Pittsburgh to research ways to increase mobility for people with disabilities.

Every year, new teenage drivers get behind the wheel for the first time. If you’re a parent, this can be an exciting and scary achievement. Getting a driver’s license is a step toward independence, but driving-related crashes remain the leading cause of death for teenagers. How can we keep teen drivers safe on the road?

Let’s Talk Autonomous Driving is pleased to welcome United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) as a national partner in our public education campaign.

The United States has made great progress in preventing child fatalities from unintentional injuries. In fact, the U.S. childhood death rate from unintentional injury – or accidents that are preventable, like drowning or failure to use child safety restraints in vehicles– has been reduced by 61% since 1988.