In late July, the U.S. House Energy & Commerce Committee unanimously passed the Self Drive Act, a bill that enable companies such as Uber, Lyft, Ford, General Motors, and others to test and market autonomous vehicles. The bill will now undergo consideration by the Senate next month as proponents of self-driving vehicles continue to push for passage of the legislation.
Not a day goes by without talk of autonomous vehicles. Advocates such as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) say thousands of lives can potentially be saved by Highly Automated Vehicle (HAV) technology. More carmakers are incorporating self-driving features, such as self-parking, automatic braking, adaptive cruise control, and lane departure warning and correction either as standard features or as options on a number of models. More websites dedicated to covering autonomous vehicle technology and infrastructure have sprung up.
As a veteran driver who logs over 20,000 miles annually, I have benefitted from the improved safety features designed into my vehicles over the years, including air bags, anti-lock brakes, and more recently rearview cameras. And, I do believe some of the newest self-driving features can be useful as a driver aid. But I do have questions as to how autonomous vehicle technology will impact the automotive infrastructure, which goes beyond vehicle manufacturers and transportation service providers to include sectors like the insurance industry, driver education, licensing, and vehicle safety laws.
Let’s take driver education, for instance. In New York State where I live, insurance companies give you a discount on automotive insurance if you take a refresher classroom driver education course every three years. These courses review state safety laws, with a heavy emphasis on penalties for violations including driving under the influence of alcohol. There is also some discussion of driver attitudes and driving techniques.
What happens to driver education when autonomous vehicles become more commonplace? How much time should be spent teaching the driver proper techniques if the vehicle is responsible for steering, braking, and parking? What if the safety technology inadvertently fails and the driver is suddenly expected to navigate a difficult driving situation? Here’s a scenario: what if the driver of an autonomous vehicle is legally intoxicated and (God forbid) some safety technology fails, with the vehicle striking someone on the road. Should the “driver” who may have figured he or she didn’t have to actively operate the vehicle still be held responsible, or is it the manufacturer whose vehicle failed? How does the insurance company determine responsibility?
Likewise, how will future licensing requirements change? While it is wishful to think that future drivers will still undergo sometimes stringent classroom and on-road testing in order to be granted the privilege to drive, could some states eventually ease up on driver training as self-driving vehicles do the bulk of the grunt work of driving? Could the driving instructor eventually go the way of the typewriter?
Asides from that, I wonder if autonomous vehicle technology will be smart enough to deal with the intricacies of rapidly changing or special driving situations. Is the technology intelligent enough, for example, to navigate a road marred with potholes or sharp objects that can quickly ruin a vehicle’s tires and suspension? What if an accident suddenly occurred ahead? Can the vehicle rapidly (and safely) change course and select an alternate route? How sensitive will an autonomous vehicle be to suddenly adverse weather events such as a downpour or a strong wind gust?
I do believe that autonomous vehicles are here to stay and will gradually gain acceptance. But I do think more thought and planning needs to go into how to adapt our traffic systems and drivers to handle these advanced vehicles.
What do you think? Email me at spencer.chin@advantagemedia.com.