WASHINGTON, D.C.— On Thursday, February 6, 2014, at 10:00 a.m., U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation Chairman John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV will host a daylong summit titled, “Over-Connected and Behind the Wheel: A Summit on Technological Solutions to Distracted Driving”. The meeting will explore how technology can be used to minimize distracted driving, which has become a major public safety concern in recent years. With the explosive growth of cellphones and smartphones, and the increasing levels of online connectivity available to people at all times, more drivers are tempted to stay connected in their cars.

The summit will consist of three roundtable discussions on the potential for technology to encourage the distractable driver to focus on driving. Rockefeller will lead the final roundtable of the day, at 2:45 p.m., on current and potential technology that can limit distractions and focus the driver on the road.

Agenda:

10:00 a.m. – “The State of Distracted Driving”: Committee staff will moderate a discussion on what we know about distracted driving, what government can do to  address the problem, and what stakeholders are doing today. Participants in this first roundtable will include representatives from the automobile, consumer  electronics, and wireless industries, as well as government agencies and safety groups.

• Nathaniel Beuse

  Associate Administrator, Vehicle Safety Research

  National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)

• Robert Molloy

  Deputy Director, Office of Highway Safety

  National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)

• Jacob Nelson

  Director, Traffic Safety Advocacy and Research

  AAA

• Veronica O’Connell

  Vice President, Congressional Affairs

  Consumer Electronics Association

• Michael J. Stanton

  President and Chief Executive Officer

  Association of Global Automakers

• Robert Strassburger 

  Vice President, Vehicle Safety and Harmonization

  Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers

• John Walls

  Vice President, Public Affairs

  CTIA – The Wireless Association

11:15 a.m. – “The State of Technology”: Committee staff will moderate a discussion on the development of technology to prevent distracted driving, technological solutions available in the market today, and steps that can be taken to make such technology more effective and readily available. Participants will include  representatives from the automobile, wireless, handset, and mobile software industries, as well as independent technology companies and safety groups.

• Andrew Brenner

  Product Manager, Android for Automotive

  Google Inc.

• Ken DiPrima

  Assistant Vice President, Product Development

  AT&T Mobility

• John Godfrey

  Vice President, Communications Policy & Regulatory Affairs

  Samsung Electronics – North America HQ

• Robert Guba

  Chief Executive Officer

  Cellcontrol

• Timothy Powderly

  Director, Federal Government Affairs

  Apple Inc.

• Wayne Powell

  Vice President, Electronic Systems

  Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.

• Michael J. Robinson

  Vice President, Sustainability & Global Regulatory Affairs

  General Motors Company

• Ray Rothermel

  Counsel, Legal/Government Affairs

  Sprint Corporation

• Jennifer Stockburger

  Director, Operations, Consumer Reports Auto Test Center

  Consumers Union

• Tom Taylor

  Vice President, Advanced Strategies

  Verizon Telematics

• David D. Teater

  Senior Director, Transportation Strategic Initiatives

  National Safety Council

• Paul Zimmerman

  Chief Executive Officer

  Aegis Mobility

2:45 p.m. – “Where Do We Go From Here?”: Chairman Rockefeller will lead the final roundtable discussion, which will move the conversation toward action – a  public challenge to all stakeholders, especially those in the room, to collaborate and  build more robust technological solutions to distracted driving. Participants in this  roundtable will include many of the same stakeholders from the two morning  roundtables. 

• John Godfrey

  Vice President, Communications Policy & Regulatory Affairs

  Samsung Electronics – North America HQ

• Timothy Powderly

  Director, Federal Government Affairs

  Apple Inc.

• Wayne Powell

  Vice President, Electronic Systems

  Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.

• Michael J. Robinson

  Vice President, Sustainability & Global Regulatory Affairs

  General Motors Company

Please note the summit will be webcast live via the Senate Commerce Committeewebsite. Refresh the Commerce Committee homepage 10 minutes prior to the scheduled start time to automatically begin streaming the webcast.

Individuals with disabilities who require an auxiliary aid or service, including closed captioning service for the webcast summit, should contact Stephanie Gamache at 202-224-5511 at least three business days in advance of the summit date.

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