In response to the work being done in Congress around autonomous vehicles, Rep. David McKinley (R-W.Va.) invited industry leaders and the public to examine the issue at a forum at West Virginia University’s Erickson Alumni Center, in Morgantown.
Executives from General Motors, Toyota, Tesla and Uber discussed some of the hurdles they’re facing and breakthroughs they’ve made during the forum Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2017.
But the main idea behind the forum, McKinley said, is to simply raise awareness about the autonomous vehicle industry and the potential benefits for average citizens.
“Because now they’ve got a 92-year-old parent that can’t get around. But what if they could dial up and get a car to come pick them up and take them to the grocery store, take them doctor’s,” he said.
McKinley said that while a lot of progress has been made in getting driverless cars to market, there are still plenty of issues to work out — issues like the industry’s insurance and liability implications. Or just getting people used to the idea of a getting into a car without a steering wheel.