IRVING, Texas, July 30, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) is proud to partner for a second year with Silicon Valley-based Velodyne Lidar, Inc., a market leader of real-time 3D perception systems used in a variety of commercial applications, including autonomous vehicles.

The partnership continues a public education effort across the country on the safety benefits of autonomous vehicle technology. On October 2, 2019, MADD will participate in Velodyne Lidar's second annual World Safety Summit on Autonomous Technology at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. The summit is designed to advance understanding of the safety benefits that can be achieved with autonomous vehicle technology.

"For almost 40 years, MADD has worked to change behaviors and attitudes toward drunk driving, with a great deal of success. But we have learned that technology is essential to getting us to our goal of zero deaths caused by drunk driving," said MADD National President Helen Witty. "Autonomous vehicle technology holds the incredible promise of helping us eliminate drunk driving. That's why we are so excited to partner with Velodyne."

Drunk driving is a violent and preventable crime that kills someone every 48 minutes in the United States. MADD's Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving is working toward eradicating this crime through four key elements that include supporting high visibility law enforcement, ignition interlocks, support for advanced vehicle technology, and building public support. Velodyne's work with autonomous vehicle technology is a natural complement to MADD's support for future technologies.

"We are honored to continue our partnership with MADD, and proud to assist in their efforts to eliminate drunk driving and save lives on our roadways. Velodyne welcomes their involvement in the upcoming World Safety Summit," said Marta Hall, President and CBDO, Velodyne Lidar. "We share a belief that safety on the roadways is for everyone. At Velodyne, we are putting this belief into action through our 'LIVE' – Lidar in Vehicles Everywhere – initiative. Our goal is to design, develop, and mass-produce lower cost lidar sold for every model of car and truck."

Velodyne's World Safety Summit will bring together business, government, public safety and community leaders to share a broad range of perspectives and creative solutions to address safety issues and public concern regarding autonomous vehicles. The agenda is designed to promote conversations that advance understanding of the safety benefits that can be achieved with autonomous vehicles. Attendees will have the opportunity to ride in autonomous vehicles and learn from experts at informational displays and booths.

"Public acceptance of autonomous technology is going to be so important as we explore this new territory, and this summit will help tackle some of the challenges we face," said Witty. "We are looking forward to working with Velodyne and advocating for the safe advancement of this technology so it can achieve its fullest potential — saving lives."

About Mothers Against Drunk Driving
Founded in 1980 by a mother whose daughter was killed by a drunk driver, Mothers Against Drunk Driving® (MADD) is the nation's largest nonprofit working to end drunk driving, help fight drugged driving, support the victims of these violent crimes and prevent underage drinking. MADD has helped to save nearly 380,000 lives, reduce drunk driving deaths by more than 50 percent and promote designating a non-drinking driver. MADD's Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving® calls for law enforcement support, ignition interlocks for all offenders and advanced vehicle technology. MADD has provided supportive services to nearly one million drunk and drugged driving victims and survivors at no charge through local victim advocates and the 24-Hour Victim Help Line 1-877-MADD-HELP. Visit http://www.madd.org or call 1-877-ASK-MADD.

About Velodyne Lidar
Velodyne provides smart, powerful lidar solutions for autonomy and driver assistance. Headquartered in San Jose, Calif., Velodyne is known worldwide for its portfolio of breakthrough lidar sensor technologies. Velodyne's Founder and CEO, David Hall, invented real-time surround view lidar systems in 2005 as part of Velodyne Acoustics. Mr. Hall's invention revolutionized perception and autonomy for automotive, new mobility, mapping, robotics, and security. Velodyne's high-performance product line includes a broad range of sensing solutions, including the cost-effective Puck™, the versatile Ultra Puck™, the autonomy-advancing Alpha Puck™, the ADAS-optimized Velarray™, and the groundbreaking software for driver assistance, Vella™.

SOURCE Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD)