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Kentucky Auto Industry Leader: Future of Self-Driving Vehicles is Now

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The leader of a Kentucky auto industry group says it’s not hard to imagine the day when self-driving cars will be commonplace.

Dave Tatman, executive director of the Kentucky Automotive Industry Association, points out that many of the vehicles we’ve been driving for years have been hinting at the future.

“You see autonomous features in the cars we drive every day,” Tatman said. “You know, my truck’s got lane departure warning, it’s got forward collision avoidance. That’s all part of autonomy. So I think that autonomous vehicles are here to stay.”

Tatman says he’s confident the technology for self-driving vehicles will continue to improve at a rapid pace.

He says bigger questions revolve around social policy issues like the legal liability when self-driving vehicles are involved in accidents.

Self-driving technology is one of the main topics of discussion scheduled for the KAIA’s upcoming AutoVision 2017 conference Aug. 7-8 in Lexington.

You can hear more of our conversation with Dave Tatman about the present and future of the automotive industry in Kentucky by clicking on the Listen button above.

Kevin is the News Director at WKU Public Radio. He has been with the station since 1999, and was previously the Assistant News Director, and also served as local host of Morning Edition.