The Social and Economic Case for Autonomous Vehicles

The advent of autonomous vehicles is poised to transform the automobile industry as profoundly as the introduction of automated manufacturing assembly lines did nearly a century ago. This event will explore the social and economic case for welcoming the arrival of autonomous vehicles and explaining how they will deliver a range of benefits. The introduction of autonomous vehicles could significantly ameliorate the 36,500 traffic fatalities and $450 billion in economic losses that occur in the United States annually from traffic accidents, not to mention the $200 billion in economic losses and environmental damage from traffic congestion. And while autonomous vehicles certainly hold the potential to disrupt a number of industries—from automobile manufacturers, dealers, servicers, financers, and insurers to taxicabs and the healthcare and legal professions—they will simultaneously create an opportunity for innovative firms to introduce a range of creative new business models.

Please join us for a panel discussion on the progress being made toward the development of autonomous vehicle technologies and build the social and economic case for welcoming their speedy arrival. To learn more about this issue in advance, we encourage you to review a very interesting series of articles on Forbes investigating the benefits autonomous vehicles can deliver and how they are poised to disrupt a wide range of industries. Also, please watch the video from Chris Urmson's presentation showing the benefits of the Google Self-Driving Car.