Press Release

CAR Breakfast Briefing "The Challenges of Developing Vehicles for Safety & Connectivity"

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Driver Distraction and HMI Challenges for Connected Vehicles offered Sept. 28

ANN ARBOR, Mich., Sept. 20, 2012 – The topic of driver distraction is in the news on a daily basis and will be the subject of the next breakfast briefing offered by the Center for Automotive Research on September 28, 2012 at the VisTaTech Center at Schoolcraft College. “Driver Distraction and HMI Challenges for Connected Vehicles” will bring together experts in the field who are working to make vehicles and the various communications systems safer and easier to use for drivers.

“As we approach the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration’s likely 2013 Notice of Regulatory Intent on vehicle-to-vehicle communications technology for safety, the automotive industry must address the human factors challenges that may come with pervasive and ubiquitous vehicle communications,” said Richard Wallace, director of CAR’s Transportation Systems Analysis group and moderator of the event. “To ensure that we get the most value out of these technologies, industry and its partners must develop and implement helpful human-machine interfaces and minimize the potential for driver distraction.”

Speakers include industry experts who will offer their thoughts on how to reap the benefits of connectivity while avoiding the risks—specifically driver distraction and overload. The event, sponsored by Agero, will focus on the latest naturalistic driving research and analysis, addressing performance of voice recognition and speech systems, for in-vehicle tasks.

Parrish Hanna, Global Director, HMI, Ford Motor Company
Tom Schalk, Vice President of Voice Technology, Agero Corporation
Nick Pudar, Vice President, Business Planning, OnStar
Linda Angell, Research Scientist, Virginia Tech Transportation Institute

Managers and directors from automotive manufacturers and suppliers, and others engaged in the development of connected vehicle systems, driver assistance systems, and infotainment systems will find the briefing of particular interest. Those working in related areas, such as human factors engineering, human-machine interface, and mobile device technology, also will find value in the presentations and discussion. The briefing is one of a series CAR offers on relevant topics of interest to industry stakeholders.

To register, visit www.cargroup.org. Media representatives may attend at no charge, subject to approval by CAR.