CAA Saskatchewan Fall 2016 | Page 4

Chair ’ s message

FALL 2016 Volume 42 , Number 3

Editor-in-Chief Kellie Davenport CAA Saskatchewan Editor Christine Niemczyk Associate Editor Craig Moy

Art Director Gary Davidson Associate Art Director Diana Di Poce

Advertising Account Manager Robert Zyluk , 204-255-3409 , robert . zyluk @ caask . ca

CAA looks at the future of autonomous vehicles

Autonomous vehicles ( a . k . a . driverless cars ) first hit Canadian roads in Ontario in January of this year . According to auto writer Mark Richardson , it won ’ t be long before more start appearing as several manufacturers are testing their own self-driving concept cars . Richardson notes the worldwide push to bring the first truly autonomous vehicle to market . ( Legislation , however , still requires a qualified driver to sit behind the wheel , ready to handle the controls in case of emergency .)

So , are Canadians ready for autonomous vehicles ? Research released earlier this year by CAA National indicates that Canadians are wary of driverless vehicles . * Nearly two-thirds ( 63 percent ) of respondents said they would not trust a vehicle to drive itself while they are in it , stating concerns such as vehicle hacking , theft of data generated by the vehicle and accountability in the event of an accident .

Canadians , however , do believe there are benefits to driverless cars in the future : Improved accessibility for people with mobility issues and fewer road-safety incidents due to reduced human error . More than half ( 57 percent ) of those surveyed said they think this technology will advance to a point where they would fully trust a driverless car in the next decade .

Jeff Walker , CAA National ’ s vice president of public affairs , along with interested stakeholders , including CAA Saskatchewan ’ s President and CEO Fred Titanich , attended the Conference Board of Canada ’ s Automated Vehicles : Planning the Next Disruptive Technology conference this past spring . Walker moderated a panel on privacy considerations surrounding driverless cars . “ Canadians clearly see the potential of autonomous vehicles , but we ’ re just not there yet ,” Walker said . He explained that in order to be truly driverless , these vehicles will need to collect and transmit a lot of data about driving habits — personal information that consumers should be able to control .

As an advocate for issues concerning our Members , from road safety and mobility to infrastructure , CAA will continue to engage in the debate about autonomous vehicles . Our goal is to make sure that the views of our valued CAA Members and the driving public are well represented .

Heather J . Laing Q . C . Saskatoon Chair , CAA Saskatchewan Board of Directors

Publisher Douglas Kelly Production Director Maria Mendes Production Manager Anna Sigrisi Production Coordinator Colleen Gilroy Prepress Coordinator Kathleen Fregillana

St . Joseph Media Chairman Tony Gagliano President Douglas Knight General Manager and Vice President , Finance Karl Percy Vice President , Strategic Development Duncan Clark Vice President , Marketing and Production Darlene Storey Vice President , Research Clarence Poirier Editorial Director , Special Projects Maryam Sanati Human Resources Director Laurie Norris Controller Dora Brenndorfer

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CAA Saskatchewan Magazine is published four times per year by St . Joseph Media Inc ., 111 Queen Street East , Suite 320 , Toronto , ON M5C 1S2 , on behalf of CAA Saskatchewan . © 2016 . All rights reserved . No part of this periodical may be reproduced in any form without the consent of CAA Saskatchewan . Printed in Canada by St . Joseph Printing .

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