David Booth, Driving’s Senior Writer, has a Bachelor’s degree in engineering complemented by decades working as an automotive journalist and commentator. He has a cynic’s view of politics, a child's wonder for anything powerful and an engineer's curiosity about how things work, all crucial for dissecting and disseminating the technology the industry constantly springs on us. And for the record, he thinks hybridization is the future, worships at the altar of supercars and absolutely adores his motorcycles, so his perfect vehicle is a 700-horsepower plug-in with two wheels.

Derek Caveney is a senior executive engineer in the Mobility Systems and Software pillar at Toyota Motor North America (TMNA) R&D in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he supports the global development of automated and connected driving technologies for safety, comfort and fuel-efficiency applications.

He joined Toyota in 2005 as a senior research scientist.

Dr. Caveney has been a member of the Society of Automotive Engineering since 2007 and represented Toyota at the Automated Vehicle Safety Consortium (AVSC) under SAE-ITC from 2018 to 2023. In 2020, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer appointed him to serve a three-year term on the Council on Future Mobility and Electrification, which was extended for an additional three years in 2023.

He received a Bachelor of Science in Engineering in Applied Mathematics from Queen’s University, Kingston, in Canada, in 1999 and a Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, in 2001 and 2004, respectively.

Dr. Caveney resides in Plymouth Michigan with his wife and three children.  In his spare time, he enjoys running, cycling, and coaching soccer.

Åsa Haglund leads Volvo Cars’ continuous efforts to improve safety through real-world traffic insights, research, and development. With over two decades of experience at Volvo Cars in a variety of roles, both within and outside the Safety Centre, she is shaping the company’s global leadership in automotive safety innovation. Passionate about safety as a philosophy and practice, Åsa enjoys sharing how Volvo Cars translates research into innovations that make driving safer for everyone.

 David Kidd is vice president for vehicle research at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

Dr. Kidd focuses on identifying data-driven, pragmatic solutions for preventing harm from crashes. His work has been instrumental in developing and advancing several IIHS vehicle rating programs, including evaluations of seat belt reminders and automatic emergency braking that responds to different types of vehicles and to bicycles. Currently, he is leading the expansion of IIHS ratings to commercial vehicles.

Dr. Kidd received a doctorate from George Mason University in 2011.

Krzysztof Czarnecki is a Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and a University Research Chair at the University of Waterloo, where he leads the Waterloo Intelligent Systems Engineering (WISE) Laboratory. He currently also serves as an Associate Director of the Waterloo Centre for Automotive Research (WatCAR).  His research focuses on assuring the safety of AI systems and driving behavior. In 2018, he co-led the development of the first autonomous vehicle tested on public roads in Canada. He has made significant contributions to automotive AI and software safety standards, including SAE J3164 and ISO 8800. Before joining the University of Waterloo, he worked at DaimlerChrysler Research in Germany (1995-2002), where he advanced software development practices and technologies for enterprise, automotive, and aerospace sectors. His work has been recognized with numerous awards, including the Premier's Research Excellence Award (2004) and the British Computing Society’s Upper Canada Award for Outstanding Contributions to the IT Industry (2008). He has also received twelve Best Paper Awards, two ACM Distinguished Paper Awards, and five Most Influential Paper Awards.