Ruderman White Paper on Self-Driving Car Technologies shows that mitigating transportation-related obstacles for individuals with disabilities would also save $19 billion in annual healthcare expenditures

Washington, D.C.—Next week, Securing America’s Future Energy (SAFE) and the Ruderman Family Foundation will release a white paper revealing that two million employment opportunities could be opened up, and $19 billion in annual healthcare expenditures could be saved, if individuals with disabilities had access to the basic transportation needs that could be provided by autonomous vehicles.

Despite those with disabilities representing almost 20 percent of the U.S. population, the most recent government survey indicated that six million individuals with a disability had difficulty with mobility access. Accordingly, this population faces significant obstacles that prevent them from fully participating in society.

The report—co-authored by Henry Claypool, Policy Director at the Community Living Policy Center at the University of California, San Francisco, Dr. Amitai Bin-Nun, Director of Autonomous Vehicle Initiatives at SAFE and Jeff Gerlach, Senior Policy Analyst at SAFE—contains a range of proposals for government and industry.

Please join us for a press call at 1:00 pm EST on January 17, 2017, which will explore the details of the report. Please dial (888) 567-1603 at that time to participate. Ruderman Family Foundation and SAFE staff will be available for questions. For more information or to RSVP, email lhayward@secureenergy.org.

About the Ruderman Family Foundation

The Ruderman Family Foundation is an internationally recognized organization, which advocates for the full inclusion of people with disabilities in our society. The Foundation supports effective programs, innovative partnerships and a dynamic approach to philanthropy in advocating for and advancing the inclusion of people with disabilities throughout America.

The Ruderman Family Foundation believes that inclusion and understanding of all people is essential to a fair and flourishing community and imposes these values within its leadership and funding.

For more information, please visit www.rudermanfoundation.org

About Securing America’s Future Energy (SAFE)

Securing America’s Future Energy (SAFE) is an action-oriented, nonpartisan organization that aims to reduce America’s dependence on oil. Near-total dependence on petroleum in the transportation sector undermines the nation’s economic and national security, and constrains U.S. foreign policy. To combat these threats, SAFE advocates for expanded domestic production of U.S. oil and gas resources, continued improvements in vehicle fuel efficiency, and transportation sector innovations including electric vehicles, natural gas trucks, and autonomous vehicles. In 2006, SAFE joined with General P.X. Kelley (Ret.), 28th Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps, and Frederick W. Smith, Chairman, President, and CEO of FedEx Corporation, to form the Energy Security Leadership Council (ESLC), a group of business and former military leaders committed to reducing the United States’ dependence on oil. Today, the ESLC is co-chaired by Frederick W. Smith and General James T. Conway (Ret), 34th Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps.

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