Are self driving cars safe enough to be allowed on the roads?
We trust computers and other automated systems to do a lot for us in this day and age, but are self driving cars safe enough to take over how we get around?
This is what Google has been working on and are getting close to making self driving cars safe!
Lets take a look at how most road accidents typically happen, with human drivers behind the wheel!
The major contributors to road accidents are: driving under the influence and driving while distracted. The second of these may seem like it’s rather innocent, but it contributes to many road accidents. The statistics reveal:
- 37,000 Americans die in road crashes every year
- 2.35 million more are injured in crashes annually
- 95% of traffic accidents are caused by human error
- 10,076 people died in drunk driving accidents in 2013
- 290,000 people were injured in drunk driving accidents in 2013
- 3,328 people died in crashes involving a distracted driver in 2011
- 421,000 people were injured in crashes involving a distracted driver in 2011
Considering these statistics, there really is quite a large incentive to make self driving cars safe enough to replace human drivers!
After drinking too many cocktails on a night out, one could simply take a nap in the backseat, while your self driving car takes you home!
“Self driving cars will make distracted driving a non-issue. Moms could even sit right next to an upset child while the car travels itself to daycare. Wouldn’t that be nice?”
So how could we make self driving cars safe? Lets consider an example:
Say the self driving car is pulling out of the driveway, the radar detection built into the vehicle detects a slow moving object in it’s path. After further scans the car identifies that the object was a boy riding a bicycle. The car would then immediately slam on the brakes and wait until the boy is out of harm’s way.
This system can digest 1.3 million readings per second. Are you starting to see how a hyper aware self driving car might be able to detect threats more effectively than a human?
No one knows for sure if self driving cars are safe enough yet, but the technology is getting there!
Source: WomenAutoKnow