Introduction
Many people believe that self-driving cars are the future because they can save lives by eliminating the human factor in driving. People are prone to errors in decision-making, contributing to many road accidents. With that said, self-driving cars will be given the autonomy to make life-or-death decisions for those on the road.
However, there are some concerns with allowing such authority to machines made by the same human beings who are imperfect. For instance, will these vehicles be programmed correctly to make these choices? How does one decide to hit a mother and stroller in the road versus a crowd on the sidewalk? Those choices are challenging enough for humans, so why would people think a computer can make a better one?
The Evolution of Vehicle Automation
Computerization in vehicles is not new to the automotive world, as one of the most inconspicuous yet important introductions was the electronic antilock brake system. That marked the beginning of the integration of computers to enable cars to think, with further advancements in the current age. Progress toward fully automated vehicles has been ongoing as more automotive technology is integrated into cars (Meyboom, 2018). For instance, sensors, video cameras, radar, and lidar use lasers have been installed in some vehicles to determine the driver’s position in relation to others, guiding the vehicle’s movement.
Ethical and Legal Challenges of Autonomous Driving
Despite these developments, autonomous vehicles still cause severe accidents, leaving people to question whether the car or the driver is responsible and whether the occurrence could have been prevented or been less detrimental if a human driver had been in control. There have been several instances where the human drivers of vehicles assumed that the car would resolve any issues that arose in traffic (Wang et al., 2020). They were even comfortable enough to climb into the backseat and go to sleep, putting total trust in the vehicle’s intelligence. All technology has been known to have faults or breakdowns and thus cannot be fully trusted to function without human intervention.
No matter how intelligent the cars become, they must still contend with human error. All driving involves risk, and deciding how to distribute it among drivers, pedestrians, cyclists, and even property entails an ethical component. A vehicle is expected to have better thought processes and decision-making skills than humans (Wang et al., 2020). However, when that vehicle makes a poor decision, there is a dilemma of deciding whom to blame: either the computer programmer who wrote the program, the company that made the vehicle, or the owner, who was the passenger. Some companies are testing out completely driverless cars with no human inside to analyze their efficiency in making the safest choices on the road.
Safety Benefits of Autonomous Vehicles
Reducing Human Error and Drunk Driving Incidents
Accidents are usually split-second events, and it is often difficult to determine who is at fault unless the incident is clearly visible. One would imagine that in the future, autonomous vehicles will be held to the same standard as human drivers, and if it cannot be helped, no one will be at fault, which is the risk on the open road. In most situations, a driver’s common sense is expected to be the standard, and a computer can undoubtedly think faster than people theoretically. Moreover, with the help of sensors, a computer can determine the possibility of danger from a much longer distance, unlike human beings (Wang et al., 2020). Autonomous cars can identify all items on a road that the human perspective might not see simultaneously and stand a better chance of preventing an accident.
Driver-under-influence crashes may be a thing of the past if autonomous vehicles were implemented. If autonomous vehicles became the primary mode of transportation, the number of drunk driving crashes would dramatically decrease. This is because autonomous vehicles would not be subject to the same risks as human drivers, such as alcohol impairment (Lundgren, 2022). In addition, autonomous cars could make decisions based on data and analytics rather than emotion or impulsivity, which can often lead to accidents (Lundgren, 2022). As a result, the implementation of autonomous vehicles has the potential to drastically reduce the number of drunk driving crashes.
Autonomous Vehicles in Shared Traffic Environments
In addition to the many benefits of autonomous vehicles, there is also the potential to reduce accidents by removing some drivers from the road who may not possess the necessary skills to operate a vehicle safely. For example, those who lack a driving license or are otherwise impaired would not be able to get behind the wheel of an autonomous car and so would be less likely to cause an accident. Those without a license can also be taken to their destinations without question, as it would be a vehicle needing a license (Hurtado, 2018).
In addition, elderly individuals or those with certain medical conditions that make it difficult to operate a vehicle may also benefit from an autonomous vehicle, as they would not have to worry about the potential for making a mistake that could lead to an accident. One estimate says that autonomous cars might save 300,000 lives per decade, which would be miraculous (Hurtado, 2018). It has already been proven that adding mere safety features, rather than full automation, cuts traffic deaths nearly in half from 1970 to 2013 (Hurtado, 2018). Furthermore, Hurtado (2018) estimated that autonomous vehicles could reduce the number of accidents by up to 90%. This would be because autonomous cars would not get distracted, would not get tired, and would follow the rules of the road perfectly.
Autonomous vehicles will be able to share the road with human drivers. This is because the cars will be equipped with sensors and software to detect and respond to other vehicles, including those driven by humans. The manufacturers of autonomous vehicles will be required to meet safety standards set by government regulators (Lundgren, 2022). These standards will consider the need for cars to share the road with human drivers.
Moreover, autonomous vehicles will be able to communicate with each other and with infrastructures such as traffic lights and road signs. This will allow them to coordinate their movements and avoid collisions. For instance, Google’s self-driving fleet has driven in autonomous mode for more than 1 million miles since 2009 (Lundgren, 2022). In all that time, they have been involved in 16 accidents, none of which were determined to be their fault, but the human drivers involved. With that being said, it is safe to say that the transition to this process may be a painful one that people will have to endure before they reach a point where they are all safer on the road, thanks to Artificial Intelligence.
Autonomous cars will be a game-changing invention that will enhance people’s everyday lives and alter their perspective on transportation. If public transit is also automated, it may help alleviate traffic jams and other frustrating driving situations (Lundgren, 2022). If everything works out as planned, the efficiency of computers controlling the traffic flow will be outstanding if done correctly. By taking the steering wheel out of our hands, computers would help reduce the human error factor in many traffic accidents.
Environmental and Efficiency Advantages of Automation
Fuel efficiency is one of the main advantages of autonomous vehicles. Conventional cars and trucks typically achieve fuel efficiencies of around 20 miles per gallon, whereas self-driving vehicles can reach efficiencies of up to 50 miles per gallon. This is because autonomous vehicles can communicate with each other to avoid traffic congestion and optimize routes.
A recent study by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory found that autonomous electric cars have the potential to reduce emissions by up to 90% compared to traditional petrol or diesel-powered vehicles (Meyboom, 2018). Electric cars are much more efficient than petrol or diesel and produce zero emissions. This would help improve air quality and reduce noise pollution, as electric vehicles are much quieter than traditional ones.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is widely believed that autonomous vehicles will be a part of the future sooner or later. There seem to be many ways that they can help drivers become safer on the road. Many movies about the future feature self-driving automobiles that are intelligent enough to make and execute choices that a human being might be incapable of.
When it comes to vehicles, autonomy and safety may become synonymous. No matter what people believe about the risks of autonomous cars, it is only a matter of time before the roads resemble a scene from the old Jetsons cartoon. Self-driving vehicles are inevitable, and it is wiser to begin finding ways to deal with the impending challenges rather than disregarding them. How they will help or hinder our current traffic problems remains to be seen; it can only be speculated.
References
Hurtado, P. (2018). Implications of self-driven vehicles: Is your department prepared for autonomous technology? Police Chief Magazine. Web.
Lundgren, B. (2022). A new standard for accident simulations for self-driving vehicles: Can we use Waymo’s results from accident simulations?AI & SOCIETY. Web.
Meyboom, A. L. (2018). Driverless urban futures: A speculative atlas for autonomous vehicles (1st ed.) Routledge. Web.
Wang, J., Zhang, L., Huang, Y., Zhao, J., & Bella, F. (2020). Safety of autonomous vehicles. Journal of Advanced Transportation, 1–13. Web.