Autonomous vehicles are generally met with skepticism from the general public, with many feeling uncomfortable with the idea of driving one or even sharing the road with them. However, could it be our misunderstanding that autonomous vehicles are not yet as ‘smart’ as we think they are, and so we expect too much from them – leading to misassigned blame when things go wrong.
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Essentially, autonomous vehicles (AVs) are cars equipped with technology that allows them to perform a range of driving tasks. The control given to the car to perform these tasks can vary. Many people believe AVs are synonymous with self-driving cars – however this perception is wrong and the current AV technology that exists in the UK right now does not allow for self-driving cars.
The levels of autonomy that an autonomous vehicle (AV) can possess are broken down into six levels (which is slightly confusing as the levels are numbered from 0 to 5).
Level 0 – No Automation (the human driver performs all driving tasks)
Level 1 – Driver Assistance (the vehicle possesses limited automated systems, i.e. emergency breaking or park assistance, the human driver performs all other driving tasks)
Level 2 – Partial Driving Automation (the vehicle features Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) such as steering and acceleration. The human driver must be able to take control at any moment)
Level 3 – Conditional Automation (the vehicle features ‘environmental detection’ and is able to make driving decisions, but the human driver must still be able to take control at any moment)
Level 4 – High Automation (the vehicle performs all driving tasks in controlled environments such as geofenced locations or traffic jams, the human driver can take control if they choose to)
Level 5 – Full Automation (the vehicle performs all driving tasks in any environment, there is no human interaction required)
Generally speaking, cars with levels 0-2 of automation require the human driver to be in full control of the car the large majority of the time, whereas for levels 3-5 the vehicle can monitor the driving environment with far less assistance from the human driver. As such, the jump in technology and legislation from level 2 to level 3 is rather large. Earlier this year, the government set out changes to The Highway Code that would allow for Level 3 AVs to be driven on UK roads. In practice, this will allow for cars with Automated Lane Keeping Systems (ALKS) to be driven as early as the end of this year, although there are currently no cars fitted with ALKS on the UK market.
As with all new vehicle technologies, AVs look to improve the way we experience travel, making it safer and more accessible. Some of the key advantages that AVs will bring are:
However, there are also many disadvantages associated with AVs too, such as:
Of all these disadvantages, the safety concerns associated with AVs is potentially the largest hurdle that the AV industry must overcome before we see widespread integration of these vehicles into our networks. In 2016, the LSE surveyed the British public and found that 41% of people were uncomfortable with the thought of driving alongside an AV, and 44% were uncomfortable using one themselves. A more recent study by UCL showed that even 5 years on, public opinion has not improved with 55% of respondents stating that they were uncomfortable sharing the road with a AV and 58% uncomfortable being a passenger in a AV.
The roll-out of autonomous vehicles is still in its infancy, and so we are yet to see large enough data sets to make real predictions or conclusions. There is also a tendency for the media to negatively report on AV statistics. Recently, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in America reported that there were 392 crashes involving CAVs with Level 2 autonomy between July 2021 – May 2022, of which 6 were fatal. This received global media coverage. However, very few articles I have read mention that these 6 fatalities are relatively small compared to the total of 42, 915 motor vehicle traffic fatalities in America in 2021.
It is also worth noting that when a crash involving an AV is reported, it may well be the driver who was in control of the vehicle at the time – rather than the autonomous system. For example, in California between 2019 and 2021 there were a total of 187 collisions involving an AV, however only 83 of them were in autonomous mode at the time of collision.
Similarly, even when the car is in autonomous mode, the collision can still be the fault of the driver. For example, in 2018 a man driving a Tesla in Autopilot mode crashed into the back of a stationary fire truck on a highway in California. According to the National Transportation Safety Board Report on the incident, the driver said that he was “drinking coffee and eating a bagel and maintained touch on the steering wheel while resting his hand on his knee”. However, during the final 13 minutes and 48 seconds prior to the crash, the driver’s hands were detected on the steering wheel for 51 seconds, despite the system displaying a ‘PLACE HANDS ON THE WHEEL’ alert four times. After the crash the driver stated that “the name ‘Autopilot’ did not accurately describe the technology because the car did not fully drive itself.”
All these instances highlight the dangers of misinterpreting information surrounding AVs. The root of the problem seems to be that, at least right now, AVs are not as smart as we think they are. This can lead to unassigned blame when a collision involves an AV, where many might assume that the technology onboard the car should have prevented this. Or, an over-reliance from AV users that their car is in control of the situation, and so they allow their minds to wonder and become distracted.
I will leave you with this question – are we ready for AVs? In 2020, distracted driving was the second biggest cause of road accidents in Great Britain. How will we manage to hand over partial control to our cars but still keep our attention on the road? As with all new technologies, I believe that messaging and education is crucial. It needs to be understood that, currently, self-driving cars do not exist in the UK and drivers must still be very much in control of their vehicles – even in Autopilot mode.
In the next installment of the CIHT Monthly Masterclass speakers from the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) and Stantec will use examples from their work to highlight how they have approached planning for an autonomous vehicle future.
During their talks, the speakers will discuss the approach the UK has taken but also give an international perspective, highlighting the lessons we can learn from further afield.
Why attend?
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