Blind 'drivers' step up to shape push for driverless cars

Advocates say autonomous carmakers need to rethink car design

Anil Lewis was behind the wheel of his Ford Mustang convertible on a sunny Atlanta day in 1988, when he nearly hit a pedestrian who appeared in a crosswalk ahead of him, seemingly out of nowhere.

It was then Lewis realised his deteriorating eyesight would soon end his days behind the wheel. Now 53 and legally blind, the prospect of fully autonomous vehicles gives him hope of returning to the road on his own.

“If it’s designed correctly, if the vehicles are accessible, it’s going to create an improved ability to travel that doesn’t currently exist,” said Lewis, executive director