[Nfbnet-members-list] Dan Parker, a Blind Man, Breaks Driving Speed Record
National Federation of the Blind
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Thu Apr 7 02:01:43 UTC 2022
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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 Blinds 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 courses turns and
steered the car around dynamic obstacles by
following haptic prompts generated by input from
the vehicles 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 Americas 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)
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