Self-driving cars offer a tantalizing glimpse of the future;
one in which the automotive world as we know it will change. Cars that we drive
ourselves will undergo the same transformation that horses underwent over a
hundred years ago, when the piston engine became a viable form of technology.
Horses ceased to be the main method of transport and instead became a leisure
activity-- could cars as we know them today eventually go the same way?
There could, theoretically, be a future where we use
self-driving cars for function, then have fun with our electric cars and
hybrids. This sounds incredibly tempting, and would be very good news for the
environment, but how realistic is it?
The truth is that, despite many stories in the past few years,
self-driving cars are still a long way from becoming a viable alternative to
cars we drive for ourselves. Those who are investing time, money, and
brain-power into the self-driving dream have a few obstacles they need to
overcome, and some of those obstacles are proving to be particularly tough to
navigate…
OBSTACLE: The innate
human hatred of change
Humans hate change; we can’t help it, we’re
wired to find comfort in the old, in the things we know. When we’re presented
with a new solution, we’re dubious and skeptical. We prefer the old ways, not
because they’re better, but because we know how to handle them.
The move to self-driving cars requires a huge leap of faith on
behalf of the general public. It may take an entire generational shift to
accept that self-driving cars are a good idea, to convince people the
technology is safe and reliable. Overcoming this resistance
from the general public is arguably the most serious obstacle that
manufacturers have to overcome.
OBSTACLE: The logistical
reality
Most self-driving cars are being programmed to immediately halt
should they sense a person (or animal) crossing their path. This sounds like a
great idea; it prevents collisions with passengers, which should theoretically
make self-driving cars safer than their existing counterparts.
However, what happens if someone crosses the path of a
self-driving car deliberately? A
pedestrian who is tired of waiting for a stop sign; they could walk into the
middle of the road and know all the cars are programmed to grind to a halt. Or
if someone is trying to escape a pursuer, the pursuer can simply stand in front
of the car and prevent their escape. These are serious, logistical issues that
the self-driving technology needs to find solutions for.
OBSTACLE: The danger
issues
It is inevitable that self-driving cars will crash; any manufacturer who says
otherwise is simply being naive. What happens in the aftermath of these crashes
is something that the world has yet to figure out.
In a standard car accident, deciding what happened is fairly
simple. The accident occurs; witnesses are called; and if you’re not at fault,
you can call in the likes of Craig Swapp and Associates to help manage any
claim of damages. It’s not the easiest system in the world, but it is familiar
and established. It’s also simpler to manage given there is a human being to
whom you can apportion blame.
For self-driving cars, this familiar script becomes muddied
beyond belief. If a another car malfunctions and accidentally collides with
yours, who’s really at fault? The person who wrote the software? The car
manufacturer? Or could it perhaps even be your
car’s fault, as your vehicle should have avoided the accident? After all, your
car was functioning perfectly, and the accident still happened.
This situation is incredibly complex, and the rule book is
effectively going to have to be written, honed, and added to as time passes.
The difficulty is persuading the public to accept the drawn-out process of
regulation. This will be especially difficult if there have been fatalities in
the crashes; the public will demand answers that car manufacturers might not even
have, as they’re still figuring it out for themselves.
OBSTACLE: Responding To
Unpredictable Situations
Let’s say you get up of a morning and head out on your morning
commute. On your journey, there is a roadblock-- there has been an accident,
and a policeman is controlling the flow of traffic as a result. When you’re
behind the wheel, you have absolutely no problem doing as directed.
If you were to undertake the same journey, and the same
roadblock, in a self-driving car however, the car would have no idea of how to respond.
Self-driving cars work well in simple situations, navigating
basic road systems in standard traffic conditions. However, how often are
standard traffic conditions all you experience? Most of us will have to avoid
roadworks, take notice of variable speed limits, or follow diversions at least
once per month-- and all of these behaviors are, at the present time, almost
impossible for self-driving cars to achieve.
Unless we can make our roads 100% predictable, and never slowed
by roadworks or diversions, self-driving cars have a long way to go.
OBSTACLE: The hacking
risk
This is a serious risk, and one that manufacturers are taking seriously. What if someone of nefarious
intent were to hack into a driverless car’s systems? They could direct that car
to commit horrific acts, cause accidents, or navigate to a remote location with
the intention of stealing the vehicle.
Hacking and anti-hacking are zero sum games. As soon as the
good guys create a safety system, there are hundreds -- if not thousands -- of
hackers looking to bust it open. They frequently succeed. When the last safety
measure has been cracked, the good guys move onto the next one; then the
hackers catch up; so the good guys move onto the next one… and the cycle
perpetuates itself, an eternal game of technological cat and mouse.
Without a doubt, the security risk is something that
manufacturers need to take very seriously if they wish to get self-driving cars
on the road full-time.
In Conclusion
A world with functional and self-driving cars would undoubtedly
be a better world, but as the above shows, the obstacles that have to be
overcome are daunting. Fingers crossed the tech experts have the solutions that
this innovative concept so desperately requires because, as we head into 2018,
it doesn’t seem that our existing cars are quite ready to be retired to a life
of leisure just yet.
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