Safe Kids Worldwide has organized the Children in Autonomous Vehicles (AVs) Consortium, an 18-month volunteer effort focused on the safety needs of children under 13 in an evolving transportation era. The consortium, consisting of two working groups (Policy, Legislation & Enforcement and Public Information & Education), will follow up on the recommendations of a blue-ribbon panel that met in April 2018 (www.safekids.org/avs). Also, anyone interested in this topic is encouraged to click on the website’s link to join the Children in AVs Interest Group. Members of this group will receive updates from the consortium and can submit questions and information to the consortium’s working groups.
For many years, SRN has followed the rise of AVs with an eye on the many potential consequences for children, first described in an SRN editorial in the Sept/Oct 2016 issue. Editor Denise Donaldson now serves as a member of the consortium, which aims to develop guidance on legislation, policy, enforcement, education, and best practices to make sure the safety of child passengers is considered and valued as AVs are designed and introduced.
Given the impact that autonomous vehicles are likely to have on safety, SRN will include regular articles on this topic in upcoming issues, especially as developments affect children. This issue looks at the current level of AV technology, as well as studies of parental attitudes toward transporting their children in a fully autonomous future.