NOW is the time for us to consider the unique needs of children, BEFORE AVs become commonplace on our roadways.
AVs are in development and being tested on roads in dozens of communities nationwide—but very few developers, regulators, or lawmakers have begun the important work of thinking about how this will affect our most vulnerable passengers: CHILDREN.
Any technological change of this scale is bound to bring some unanticipated consequences. But it’s a cop out to cite this as an excuse when harm comes to children! It is not unexpected that children ride in vehicles, nor that they have safety needs that differ from those of adults. Despite this, children have been the innocent victims of so-called progress in the past, for instance when air bags were introduced.
Tragedies are entirely avoidable if the grown-ups in charge are willing to stop and ask:
“How might this technology affect children?”
“What must we do to make sure all phases of this transition are safe for them?”
So, today, we have an historic opportunity—as well as an obligation to children—to learn from past mistakes. Let’s be proactive, rather than reactive, by ensuring that children are not an afterthought as we progress toward the future of transportation.
As described on this page, CPSTs now have many ways to learn about children and AVs, provide education to the public, and participate in advocacy efforts.
SKW’s Children in Automated Vehicles Resources
In 2021, the Children in Autonomous Vehicles Consortium, a volunteer group formed by Safe Kids Worldwide, launched a website that is a tool kit for anyone advocating for children on this topic. The Consortium, which operated from spring 2019 through spring 2021, prepared these resources following a call-to-action document prepared by a Blue Ribbon Panel that Safe Kids convened in 2018.
Learn more about the Consortium and find its tool kit here:
Safe Kids Worldwide—Children in Autonomous Vehicles
Read the Blue Ribbon Panel’s document here:
Final Report from the Safe Kids Blue Ribbon Panel
U.S. Governmental Information on AVs
The federal government controls safety standards for vehicles on U.S. roadways, several of which directly or indirectly address the safety needs of children. Currently, NHTSA and other stakeholders have expressed interest in making amendments to many standards in order to remove barriers to AVs. However, because the existing regulatory structure has many facets that influence the protection of children, any amendments should first be carefully scrutinized by people with knowledge of child passenger safety for potential consequences to children.
NHTSA’s AV TEST Initiative is a website on which government and industry can voluntarily post AV-related information. Find it here:
NHTSA Autonomous Vehicle Test Initiative, a Voluntary Tracking Tool
Read the U.S. DOT’s documents that outline the administration’s intentions for participating in the rollout of AVs:
U.S. Department of Transportation Automated Vehicle Activities
Articles on Children in AVs
Below are articles on AVs that have appeared in Safe Ride News.