[Nfbnet-members-list] Dan Parker, a Blind Man, Breaks Driving Speed Record

[National Federation of the Blind]

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National Federation of the Blind logo and tagline live the life


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Dan Parker, a Blind Man,
Breaks Driving Speed Record



Truth or Consequences, New Mexico (April 5, 
2022): Dan Parker, a blind racecar driver, 
achieved the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS® title for 
the “Fastest Speed for a Car Driven Blindfolded” 
on Thursday, March 31. Parker set a new speed 
record of 211.043 miles per hour on the runway at 
Spaceport America in his custom-built Corvette, 
which included an innovative audio guidance 
system designed to his specifications. The 
previous record was held by Mike Newman of the 
United Kingdom, who achieved a speed of 200.51 
miles per hour in 2014. Parker went blind as the 
result of a racing accident that took place ten 
years before, on March 31, 2012, and graduated 
from the Louisiana Center for the Blind seven 
years ago on March 31 as well. The record attempt 
was made as part of the acceleration of the 
National Federation of the Blind’s Blind Driver 
Challenge™ ­ an initiative that aims to call 
attention to the importance of breaking barriers 
in mobility and to demonstrate the incredible 
achievements of blind people. It was sponsored by 
San Francisco-based zero emission self-driving 
company Cruise and certified by Guinness World Records official Michael Empric.

The effort built on the inaugural Blind Driver 
Challenge event that took place on January 29, 
2011, when Mark Riccobono, now President of the 
National Federation of the Blind, independently 
operated a modified Ford Escape hybrid on the 
Daytona International Speedway Road Course. Mr. 
Riccobono navigated the course’s turns and 
steered the car around dynamic obstacles by 
following haptic prompts generated by input from 
the vehicle’s GPS, cameras, and LIDAR sensors.

“Our Daytona Blind Driver Challenge demonstration 
changed the perceptions of blindness held by 
society, including the perceptions that we 
ourselves held as blind people,” said Mark 
Riccobono, President of the National Federation 
of the Blind. “It further demonstrated to the 
world that the expertise of the blind is critical 
to the development of nonvisual vehicle 
interfaces. NFB member Dan Parker has now raised 
the expectations of blind people even higher by 
independently driving a vehicle faster than any 
blind person has done before, proving that the 
combination of accessible technology and our own 
capacity allows blind people to safely operate 
motor vehicles even at high speed. This 
demonstration reinforces our determination to 
work with Cruise and other partners to make cars 
that can be operated independently by blind 
people on America’s roadways a reality. 
Transportation is a critical barrier faced by 
blind people across the nation and we seek the 
increased availability of all transportation 
options in order to successfully live the lives we want.”

“With the help of my Federation family, my 
outstanding pit crew, and our partners at Cruise, 
I am proud to bring the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS 
title for fastest speed for a car driven 
blindfolded to America,” said Dan Parker. “We 
have not only demonstrated that a blind person 
can operate a vehicle safely, but that we can do 
it at over two hundred miles per hour. We hope 
this success inspires blind people and shows the 
world the potential of modern technology like 
self-driving cars to help the blind break 
barriers in everyday mobility and beyond.”

###

About the National Federation of the Blind



The National Federation of the Blind (NFB), 
headquartered in Baltimore, defends the rights of 
blind people of all ages and provides information 
and support to families with blind children, 
older Americans who are losing vision, and more. 
Founded in 1940, the NFB is the transformative 
membership and advocacy organization of blind 
Americans with affiliates, chapters, and 
divisions in the fifty states, Washington DC, and 
Puerto Rico. We believe in the hopes and dreams 
of blind people and work together to transform 
them into reality. Learn more about our many 
programs and initiatives at 
<https://nfb.org/civicrm/mailing/url?u=25438&qid=7032391>nfb.org.

Contact:



Chris Danielsen
Director of Public Relations
National Federation of the Blind
(410) 659-9314, extension 2330
(410) 262-1281 (Cell)
<https://nfb.org/civicrm/mailing/url?u=25439&qid=7032391>cdanielsen at nfb.org



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