Washington, D.C.—In response to a request for comments from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Office of the Secretary of Transportation (OST) on the scope of a Congressionally-requested analysis of the effects of autonomous vehicles (AVs) on the U.S. workforce, SAFE submitted comments in favor of expanding the scope of the OST study.
Amitai Bin-Nun, SAFE’s Vice President of Autonomous Vehicles and Mobility Innovation, said: “AVs have the potential to save thousands of lives on our roads, improve the efficiency and accessibility of our transportation system, and spur economic development. At the same time, we need to modernize our workforce and facilitate a smooth transition to an AV economy. With the active engagement of policymakers and the private sector, the transition to AVs will benefit all Americans. We are confident that society can equitably address the changes in the workforce while, at the same time, encouraging the significant benefits AVs will bring.
“SAFE is pleased to be working with the department to better understand the workforce implications of AVs and we look forward to collaborating on this crucial policy priority,” Bin-Nun added.
From its analysis of the benefits for the disability community to best practices for responsible AV deployment, SAFE has an extensive background in AV research and policy. This continued in June with the release of America’s Workforce and the Self-Driving Future, a groundbreaking analysis of the impacts of AV deployment on the U.S. workforce. Conducted by a team of labor and transport economists that included Dr. Erica Groshen, the former Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics and Dr. Susan Helper, the former Chief Economist at the Department of Commerce, this federally-recognized study was referenced in the OST’s original request for comments.
SAFE made the following recommendations to expand the scope of the study, in order to:
Better understand how AV deployment will impact workers
The macroeconomic effects of AVs
Understanding what happens to workers whose industries have changed
AVs and their impact on society
Ensuring collection of the right data
Click here to view the comments in full.
About Securing America’s Future Energy
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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