Self-Driving Coalition for Safer Streets

What Self-Driving Coalition for Safer Streets does

The Self-Driving Coalition for Safer Streets is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit trade association founded on April 26, 2016, and headquartered in Washington, D.C. It functions as an industry advocacy coalition whose 14 member companies span the full autonomous vehicle ecosystem—technology developers (Waymo, Aurora, Cruise, Nuro, Motional, Zoox, Argo AI), automotive manufacturers (Ford, Volvo Cars), rideshare networks (Lyft, Uber), and trucking companies (TuSimple, Embark, Kodiak Robotics). Its operational purpose is to work with federal, state, and local policymakers, regulators, and civic organizations to advance autonomous vehicle policy through public testimony, formal regulatory comments, legislative outreach, and partnerships with safety and mobility advocacy organizations.

The Coalition does not develop or commercialize any technology products or services. Its functional deliverables are policy positions, congressional testimony, NHTSA and state-level regulatory comments, research citations, and public education materials supporting the safe and swift deployment of fully self-driving vehicles. It has produced testimony before the House Energy & Commerce Subcommittee, House Appropriations Subcommittee, NHTSA, California DMV, NYC Council, D.C. City Council, and other bodies, and has published resources referencing safety statistics such as the 94% human-error share of U.S. crashes and the IIHS estimate that AVs could prevent 72% of crashes.

The Coalition's business model is membership-dues funded from its 14 member companies; it generates no commercial revenue. It is governed by a Board of Directors that, as of June 2021, includes representatives from Ford, Volvo Cars, Waymo, Aurora, and Embark. Operational leadership consists of General Counsel Ariel Wolf and Board Chair David Quinalty. David Strickland (former NHTSA Administrator, 2010-2014) served as founding counsel and spokesperson. The organization also maintains partnerships with non-industry stakeholders including Mothers Against Drunk Driving, the National Federation of the Blind, United Spinal Association, R Street Institute, and Mobility 4 All to broaden its policy legitimacy.

Name

Self-Driving Coalition for Safer Streets

Legal name

Self-Driving Coalition for Safer Streets

Website

https://selfdrivingcoalition.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Self-Driving Coalition for Safer Streets is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit trade association founded in 2016 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., representing 14 autonomous vehicle companies that advocate before federal, state, and local policymakers for policies supporting the safe deployment of self-driving vehicles.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Autonomous Vehicle Policy Advocacy

NAICS

Business Associations (81391)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Autonomous Vehicles & Ground Mobility (HDAAAIAF)

Keywords

• Autonomous vehicle policy
• AV safety advocacy
• Federal AV legislation
• Regulatory advocacy
• Self-driving advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Self-Driving Coalition for Safer Streets is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit trade association that serves as a unified industry advocacy voice for autonomous vehicle (AV) policy. It engages directly with federal, state, and local policymakers, regulators (NHTSA, DOT), and civic organizations through public testimony, regulatory comments, legislative outreach, and stakeholder partnerships. The Coalition does not develop or sell technology products; its members include companies developing Level 4 and Level 5 self-driving systems.

Product overview

The Self-Driving Coalition for Safer Streets is not a product company but rather an advocacy coalition formed to work with lawmakers, regulators, and the public to advance the deployment of fully autonomous/self-driving vehicles. The coalition focuses on policy advocacy, regulatory engagement, and public outreach to realize the safety and societal benefits of autonomous vehicles (AVs). The coalition's activities include submitting testimony to government bodies, engaging with NHTSA on federal AV policy, advocating for federal legislation (such as the SELF DRIVE Act and AV START Act), and working with state governments on AV legislation. The coalition does not offer commercial products or services but serves as a coordinating body for its member companies (Argo AI, Aurora, Cruise, Embark, Ford, Kodiak, Lyft, Motional, Nuro, TuSimple, Uber, Volvo Cars, Waymo, and Zoox).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 37,000 lives lost annually on U.S. roads; human error causes 94% of crashes; AVs can prevent 72% of crashes according to IIHS study
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core, key, supporting and founding.

• ZooxcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 June 2021Zoox is listed as a current member of the Coalition. Zoox, owned by Amazon, develops purpose-built autonomous vehicles and has expanded testing to Seattle.
• EmbarkcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 January 2021Embark became the first company dedicated exclusively to developing self-driving trucks to join the Coalition in January 2021. Embark was added to the Board of Directors in June 2021. Embark has partnerships with Ryder for a nationwide autonomous fleet network.
• Kodiak RoboticscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 January 2021Kodiak Robotics joined the Coalition in January 2021 as the first companies dedicated exclusively to self-driving trucks. Kodiak focuses on autonomous trucking and has launched a 4th-generation self-driving semi-truck.
• TuSimplecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 January 2021TuSimple joined the Coalition in January 2021 as one of the first companies dedicated exclusively to developing self-driving trucks. TuSimple has partnerships with UPS, Navistar, and Ryder for autonomous freight network expansion.
• MotionalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 October 2020Motional joined the Coalition in October 2020. Motional is a joint venture between Hyundai Motor Group and Aptiv and is a global leader in driverless technology. Motional plans to launch a robotaxi service with Lyft in 2023.
• CruisecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 August 2020Cruise joined the Coalition in August 2020. Cruise is an all-electric, fully self-driving company backed by GM, Honda, and Microsoft. Cruise has provided contactless self-driving deliveries to San Francisco communities during the pandemic.
• Argo AIcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 February 2020Argo AI joined the Coalition in February 2020. Argo AI is a Pittsburgh-based self-driving company with operations in multiple U.S. cities including Palo Alto, Austin, Detroit, Miami, Princeton, and Washington D.C.
• AuroracoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 February 2020Aurora joined the Coalition in February 2020 and was added to the Board of Directors in June 2021. Aurora was founded by leading AV experts and tests vehicles in the Bay Area and Pittsburgh with offices in Bozeman, Montana. Aurora has partnerships with Amazon Web Services, Toyota, Uber, and FedEx.
• NurocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 February 2020Nuro joined the Coalition in February 2020. Nuro develops zero-occupant delivery vehicles and received the first-ever DOT autonomous vehicle exemption. Nuro operates a commercial AV delivery service in Houston with testing in California and Arizona.
• Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD)keyStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 March 2017MADD partnered with the Coalition in March 2017. MADD sees autonomous vehicle technology as a game-changer for traffic safety, potentially eliminating drunk, drugged, and drowsy driving.
• National Federation of the BlindkeyStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 March 2017The National Federation of the Blind partnered with the Coalition in March 2017. NFB has been engaged in AV research since the early 2000s and brings expertise in accessible user interface designs for blind users.
• United Spinal AssociationkeyStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 March 2017United Spinal Association partnered with the Coalition in March 2017. United Spinal sees autonomous vehicles as opening vast opportunities for people with disabilities to gain independence and mobility.
• R Street InstitutesupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 March 2017R Street Institute partnered with the Coalition in March 2017. R Street is a free-market think tank focused on addressing legislative and regulatory challenges for AV deployment.
• Mobility 4 AllsupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 March 2017Mobility 4 All partnered with the Coalition in March 2017. The organization is committed to ensuring self-driving vehicles serve all people, especially those with disabilities and seniors.
• Ford Motor CompanyfoundingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 April 2016Ford was one of five founding members of the Self-Driving Coalition in April 2016. Ford joined with Google (Waymo), Lyft, Uber, and Volvo Cars to establish the Coalition to work with lawmakers, regulators, and the public to realize the safety and societal benefits of self-driving vehicles.
• Waymo (formerly Google Self-Driving Car Project)foundingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 April 2016Waymo (then Google's self-driving car project) was a founding member of the Coalition in April 2016. Waymo brings extensive autonomous driving technology experience and has driven over 20 million miles on public roads as of 2021.
• LyftfoundingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 April 2016Lyft was a founding member of the Coalition in April 2016. As a rideshare company, Lyft brings expertise in transportation network services and mobility platforms to the coalition's advocacy efforts.
• UberfoundingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 April 2016Uber was a founding member of the Coalition in April 2016. Uber brings experience in autonomous vehicle testing and freight/trucking operations to the coalition.
• Volvo CarsfoundingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 April 2016Volvo Cars was a founding member of the Coalition in April 2016. Volvo brings automotive manufacturer perspective including its partnership with Uber for self-driving testing using Volvo vehicles.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• National Safety Council: Cross-stakeholder safety organization that publishes the annual U.S. roadway death data the Coalition uses to frame its public-safety messaging.
• Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD): Safety advocacy nonprofit and a formal Coalition partner; aligned on AV's potential to address the ~29% of U.S. traffic fatalities involving alcohol-impaired drivers.
• SAE International: Standards body that codified the J3016 Levels of Driving Automation framework widely used in NHTSA rulemaking the Coalition engages on; an enabling ecosystem participant rather than a direct competitor.
• American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO): State DOT associations that shape the uniform infrastructure and deployment rules the Coalition pushes NHTSA and Congress to harmonize with; a key stakeholder on the regulatory patchwork issue the Coalition seeks to resolve.
• R Street Institute: Free-market think tank and formal Coalition partner producing research and commentary supporting federal preemption and lighter-touch AV regulation.

Regional players

• American Trucking Associations: Primary U.S. trucking industry trade association with overlapping interest in autonomous trucking policy; the Coalition absorbed its members Embark, Kodiak and TuSimple as the first autonomous-trucking representatives.

Broad incumbents

• Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITS America): Long-standing membership association advocating for intelligent transportation systems, V2X, and connected/automated infrastructure policy at the federal and state level — directly adjacent policy domains to AV deployment.
• Consumer Technology Association (CTA): Broad consumer-tech trade group that has weighed in on AV/AI policy and represents technology companies in AV-relevant regulatory conversations at the federal level.
• Alliance for Automotive Innovation: Primary U.S. automotive industry trade association representing most major OEMs on federal vehicle policy including AV/ADAS, safety standards, and NHTSA engagement — a broader incumbent that overlaps with the Coalition on many of the same regulatory files.

Direct peers

• Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association (AVIA): The Self-Driving Coalition for Safer Streets was rebranded to AVIA in 2022; they represent the same member companies (Waymo, Cruise, Aurora, Motional, Ford, etc.) and pursue an identical federal AV policy advocacy mission.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/selfdrivingsafe

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Self-Driving Coalition for Safer Streets