News Releases

The Washington Auto Show’s first of two Public Policy Preview Days kicks off tomorrow with MobilityTalks^TM , a Capitol Hill Forum on the ways that connected and automated technology will improve highway and vehicle safety, reduce congestion and emissions and improve quality of life. The forum will be immediately followed by a demonstration of connected vehicle technologies that will proceed in a convoy from Capitol Hill to the show site, the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.

In light of President Obama’s 2017 budget request of $4 billion to invest in automated vehicle technology, MobilityTalks^TM provides a timely opportunity to learn about the advances and challenge in this new technological frontier.

WHO: The Washington Auto Show, the “public policy show” on the auto show circuit, and The Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITS America), the leading advocate for technologies that improve the nation’s surface transportation system, will convene the most influential thinkers in government and industry to address the specific topics of cybersecurity, spectrum sharing, data analytics, and shared-use mobility as they relate to connected and autonomous vehicles.

Moderated by Joseph White, ThomsonReuters Transportation Editor, the panel will feature:

• Commissioner Maureen K. Ohlhausen, Federal Trade Commission;
• Mr. Ken Athanasiou, Vice President, Chief Information Security Officer, AutoNation;
• Dr. Regina Clewlow, Director of Transportation Research and Policy, RideScout;
• Dr. John Kenney, Director/Principal Researcher, Network Div., Toyota InfoTechnology Center;
• Mr. Jeffrey Massimilla, Chief Product Cybersecurity Officer, General Motors; and
• Mr. Cordell Schachter, Chief Technology Officer, NYC Department of Transportation

Additionally, brief remarks will be delivered by:

• Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) Chairman, Senate Smart Transportation Caucus;
• Tom Lehner, Vice President Public Policy, Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA);
• Geoff Pohanka, Pohanka Automotive and Washington Auto Show Chair;
• Mark Gessler, President of Historic Vehicle Association (HVA); and
• Regina Hopper, President & CEO, Intelligent Transportation Society of America

WHAT: The hour-long discussion will include Q & A and be followed by an on-road demonstration of the latest connected vehicle technologies that are making our roads safer and our infrastructure smarter, from Capitol Hill to the show site, the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. 

WHERE: Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2168 (Gold Room)

WHEN: Lunch will be served at 12:30 p.m. Introductory remarks begin at 12:35, and the panel will start at 1 p.m. The convoy will leave for The Washington Convention Center at 2:15. Demonstrations of connected vehicle technologies will then take place at the convention center beginning at 3 p.m.

WHY: Connected and Automated vehicle technologies are here today. As these technologies are deployed more broadly over the next five years we will see significant advancements in highway and vehicle safety, a reduction in traffic congestion and emissions, and an improved quality of life for the traveling public. Vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication technologies are expected to save thousands of lives each year by helping prevent crashes before they happen. The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates the technology will prevent or reduce the impact of up to 80% of unimpaired vehicle crashes.

Given the recent spotlight on connected and automated vehicle technologies as a result of the administration’s recent 2017 budget request, this forum convenes leading thinkers and influencers in a rare opportunity to address this connected new road ahead.

For more information or to arrange interviews, please contact:

Barbara Pomerance,
Washington Auto Show Communications Director
bp@pomeranceassociates.com; 404-557-7200 (cell)

or

Ashley Simmons
Director of Communications, ITS America
202-341-9508 (cell)

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