[Blindtlk] why is it important tojoinan organizationofthe blind?

[Gary Wunder]

There are many things that need to happen before blind people start driving
independently.  One of the things we have to do is change the laws and all
of the states to do away with the visual requirement that now exists.  We
then have to convince the insurance companies that we are safe to ensure.  I
note that recently, I believe in the state of Montana, legislation was
passed authorizing the Google driverless car to operate on the streets and
highways of the state.  That legislation could not have been passed without
a vehicle to provide the evidence that the legislature used to decide it was
safe or at least safe enough.  I think we face the same thing with the blind
drivable vehicle.  How can any regulatory or legislative body take seriously
the question of letting a blind person drive until we have technology that
can give us the information we need.  How can we determine the information
we will need without working on the technology, seeing how it fits, and what
modifications we must make?

Without trying to start an argument, I'd simply like to understand how we
could proceed in any other sequence than we have.  Could Thomas Jefferson
have pressed for regulatory change seeking the replacement of gas lights
with electric lights before he had a working model?