Revhead Ramblings: Self-driving cars; the biggest debate of the 21st century

Cars have changed the world. This transportation solution is used by billions and has granted enormous personal freedom.

In return for the conveniences they bring, they’re also one of the biggest financial burdens behind a house. The people working on autonomous vehicles generally see their main benefits as mitigating these costs, notably road accidents, pollution and congestion.

Less Involved

I’ve seen more than a handful of people on Twitter say that by driving a manual car instead of an automatic alternative they’re actually safer as they’re more involved in the process; if that’s the case how focused are we when we’re travelling on the motorway with radar guided cruise control and lane keep assist doing virtually all the work?

Uncharted Waters

Self-driving cars have been at the forefront of automotive conversation for a few years now; Tesla has led the way with this technology and as such is at the forefront of debate when these systems go wrong and there’s a fatality.

In 2016, Joshua Brown made history as the first person to die in a self-driving car. A HGV pulled out in front of his car and due to the bright sky, the cameras and radars failed to spot the huge wall of metal. Brown died, and Tesla were cleared of any wrongdoing as their system was designed to prevent Tesla cars from rear-ending other vehicles, not handle situations where vehicles cross from intersecting roads.

Who’s to Blame?

So, who’s really responsible when self-driving cars fail? Many people pointed their fingers at Tesla, however as is the case with every other car with self-driving capabilities, the system is there to aid, not replace, human drivers. This is sure to be one of the most significant debates of the 21^st century; who or what will be liable when fully autonomous cars crash?

There can only be one

Imagine you’re at a T-junction, opposite, there’s another T-junction. In theory there’s a prescribed order in which cars are supposed to go. In reality, drivers use eye contact and hand gestures to decide who moves first. This is present in more situations than we realise whilst driving, zebra crossings, car parks, merging. All of these situations are dealt with like second nature by us but are a nightmare for the AI in a car. How do you program a computer to understand the unwritten rules of the road?

Fully self-driving cars and cars driven by humans can not share the road. Humans are too unpredictable to work alongside. When you look at the causes of crashes and fatalities involving self-driving cars, the vast majority involve humans. Whether that be a lorry pulling out, crossing the road in a poorly lit area or simply not paying attention. Self-driving cars can only do so much. It always comes back to the same issue; you can’t program a machine to anticipate an unpredictable act, be that human or from nature.

To ensure you don’t miss out on any of Alex’s ‘Revhead Ramblings‘ be sure to follow him on Twitter at @AlexClickDealer!

For more information about ClickEngage™, or to learn about Click Dealer’s brand new blog service and content from our specialist automotive industry writers, get in touch today on marketing@clickdealer.co.uk, 01782 478 220 or through our contact page!