Conn. Symposium Focuses on Societal Impact of AVs

April 2, 2019—An automotive conference focused on self-driving vehicles was held Monday at the University of Connecticut. The conference, “Putting Humans in the AV Driver’s Seat,” evaluated the societal impact of autonomous vehicles and address the legal, insurance and regulatory implications of the evolving technology.

The symposium was scheduled to include an interactive town hall session moderated by WNPR’s Lucy Nalpathanchil, and a keynote presentation from Harriet Tregoning, director of the New Urban Mobility Alliance, and more. 

Panel topics included:

• The liability and insurance issues surrounding autonomous vehicles.
• Human interactions with autonomous vehicle technology.
• The broad societal impacts of emerging transportation technologies.

“There’s a lot of discussion about autonomous vehicles, but much of the academic work surrounding them is focused on technology,” said Carol Atkinson-Palombo, co-director of the University of Connecticut’s Transportation Technology & Society Research Group. “We’re hoping to bring more studied thought and greater scientific understanding to the broader societal impact.”