Theres been a lot of buzz about driverless cars since the first prototypes were announced. However, aside from a few grim stories about accidents (like the fatal crash involving a driverless Tesla in 2016 due to a combination of sensor and driver failure) and sporadic updates on the progress of driverless cars, most people havent seen them on the roadbecause there arent that many out there yet. So whats really going on with autonomous vehicles in 2017? Lets find out.
Almost Ready for the Showrooms
This years CES (formerly the Consumer Electronics Show) is hosting a special guest: Delphi Automotive Plc, which is showing off its new Audis with self-driving systems that consumers will eventually be able to purchase. This shows that driverless car manufacturers are shifting their focus from proving that the technology works to actually selling the new cars. Showrooms will soon feature these vehicles with autonomous features, and the goal for manufacturers of these systems is to get them in the hands of automakers and public and private transit services. Projections are that these cars will be on the road within about 5 years.
What Features Will They Have?
With self-driving cars coming to a road near you (Uber and Lyft are already working on deals to secure self-driving rideshare cars), lawmakers are concerned about the safety implications of autonomous vehicles. This has resulted in new regulations pushing for IoT integration between vehicles. Autonomous vehicles will be required to have embedded chips to allow them to communicate with other vehicles and make the technology safer.
Self-driving features cannot always be fully utilized yet, as most states require that cars must still have a licensed human in the drivers seat in case the systems fail, but full automation is the end goal of driverless car developers. The first fully self-driving vehicles will probably be used for trams and shuttles, which would make these operations much cheaper to run. Currently, most states have legal gray areas when it comes to driverless cars, while a few are more explicit about their restrictions. Florida is currently the only state with laws that support fully autonomous vehicles.
Public Opinion: Are Driverless Cars Safe?
Many people are still wary of driverless cars taking to the road. Of course, concerns about the safety of autonomous vehicles arent going anywhereautonomous vehicles will have to be proven safe over a long period of time before they gain widespread acceptance. Educating the public on the safety of driverless cars. will be an immense task that car manufacturers will need to undertake.
What are some of the biggest concerns? Drivers have to make snap decisions in thousands of different situations, and a driverless car must be able to make those same decisions for passenger safety. If a bridge collapses due to bridge scour, for example, would an autonomous car be able to make the best decision under the circumstances? These are tough questions that may not have answers until more autonomous vehicles are out on the road. On the other hand, human driver error is responsible for 94% of all crashes across the planet. Perhaps, with their advanced sensors, autonomous cars will be more reliable than human drivers.
The Benefits of Autonomous Vehicles
Of course, there are many benefits to a fully autonomous vehicle. Passengers dont have to make driving decisions and can use their time to work, read, relax, or even nap. Autonomous vehicles will also have a profound effect on the environment, but the policies and technology implemented will determine whether they have a positive or negative impact. Transit companies could potentially save billions on driver salaries as well. For now, the laws surrounding autonomous vehicles are murky, and theyre not all ready to perform without a driver. But one day soon, we may have the luxury of having our cars drive us.
