The Coalition for Future Mobility — comprising a wide range of stakeholders in the evolving autonomous vehicle market — has launched a new public campaign urging the passage of bipartisan legislation that encourages self-driving car testing and deployment.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Self Drive Act on Sept. 6, and the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee is considering related legislation.

Members of the Coalition for Future Mobility lobby on behalf of older Americans, people with disabilities, safety advocates, environmental groups, the auto industry and technology firms.

The campaign seeks to raise public awareness of the benefits of self-driving vehicles, including improved safety, greater mobility for those unable to drive, and reduced congestion and carbon emissions.

“Autonomous vehicle technology presents tremendous potential benefits for the blind and other Americans with disabilities,” said Mark A. Riccobono, president of the National Federation of the Blind. “From more reliable transportation to greater access to employment, automated vehicles could be a valuable tool allowing the blind to live the lives we want. Autonomous vehicle technology must be accessible to everyone through nonvisual user interface options and nondiscriminatory public policy.”

Campaign ads encourage the public to “imagine how much safer our roads would be with autonomous vehicles” and urge citizens to “tell Congress to green-light autonomous vehicle testing and deployment.”

The Coalition for Future Mobility has expanded to 21 member organizations. The newest members include the American Network of Community Options and Resources (ANCHOR), which helps people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to participate in their communities; the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA), which represents manufacturers and suppliers of high-tech connectivity; and the National Taxpayers Union (NTU), which advocates for lower taxes and smaller government.