Going on Now: First Responder Training
Through funding provided by Waymo, GHSA is partnering with the Emergency Responder Safety Institute to develop, pilot and evaluate an introductory automated vehicle (AV) training program for first responders – law enforcement, emergency medical technicians, firefighters, tow truck operators, crash reconstructionists – to prepare for the rapidly changing safety protocols associated with AV technology.
Waymo Community
Building on the shared belief that autonomous vehicles (AV) have the potential to make our roads safer, GHSA is partnering with Waymo to educate key stakeholders and the public through their Waymo Community campaign, formerly known as Let's Talk Autonomous Driving. GHSA’s AV policy supports the development and deployment of this technology to “improve road safety, mobility and convenience.”
The public education campaign’s goal is to convey how self-driving vehicles think and work, how they make transportation accessible to the disabled and those who cannot obtain a driver’s license, and how they can help eliminate unsafe driving behaviors such as speeding, distraction and impairment. Learn more about the program here, or see information about autonomous driving basics, Waymo technology and community impact.
In 2023, GHSA Chief Executive Officer Jonathan Adkins and Senior Director of Policy and Government Affairs Russ Martin experienced the Waymo One ride-hailing car and a Waymo Via truck first-hand. Watch them discuss their experience in these driverless vehicles, how AV technology is a key part of reaching our shared goal of zero traffic deaths and why AVs can offer greater mobility options to those who need them most.
Read the March 2022 blog, Can Autonomous Vehicles Support the Safe System Approach to Traffic Safety?, which features GHSA Senior Director of Policy and Government Relations Russ Martin.
Learn more in their October 2021 blog: The Waymo Driver Handbook: Teaching an autonomous vehicle how to perceive and understand the world around it.
Pedestrian Safety
October 2020 marked the first nationwide observance of Pedestrian Safety Month. GHSA and Waymo developed a video to call attention to the magnitude of the U.S. pedestrian safety problem and how AV technology can help. Connected and autonomous vehicles allow drivers to see pedestrians sooner and take action to avoid a collision. Read more and watch the video here.
Read GHSA’s policy supports the development and deployment of AV technology to “improve road safety, mobility and convenience.”