Are Autonomous Vehicles Making roads safer?

By Andin Bicknell

All indications are pointing to the possibility of autonomous vehicles replacing human-driven cars on our roads sooner than later.

However, most tech experts are concerned that even though the technology is ready for self-driving cars, there still could be a few teething issues that need to be addressed before these vehicles are fully adopted.

One such concern is whether or not our roads in their current state are ready to accommodate vehicles that operate on their own.

The roads will need to be smart in order to communicate seamlessly with the vehicles.

Their ability to observe situations, collect data, process it, make decisions, and act on the data in real-time must be beyond reproach in order to make the driving environment safe and secure.

On top of that, as with any other tech automation project, the threat of cyber criminality is clouding autonomous cars.

What happens if hackers corrupt the software on which cars run, or gain control of the road signals?

Wouldn’t that precipitate unwanted confusion on our roads?

Clearly, there are many external factors that must be addressed satisfactorily before our roads can become completely safe.

Just to break the ice for you, here are 3 things that we feel must not be ignored if our roads are to be safe for autonomous vehicles.

1. Autonomous Vehicles: Make room for human error

Road safety as we know it today is anchored on a platform of shared responsibility.

Drivers anticipate problems, road users try to avoid problems, and through experience, road users help each other to make the transportation systems safe.

Of course, human drivers are fallible, so we have learned to make room for their errors.

Now the question lingers: Are AV systems totally infallible?

Will there be zero shortcomings with smart roads and autonomous vehicles?

Will autonomous cars be 100% independent, or will they depend on human intelligence to run smoothly?

With several cases of AVs colliding in the US, it will be naïve to assume that these vehicles will be infallible.

There definitely will be glaring shortcomings in how they operate.

For example, machines cannot have eye contact with people, so the coordination between cars and pedestrians will be a challenge.

And, of course, the software they will be using is developed by humans.

It will actually be updated and maintained by humans through computers.

Our roads must, therefore, be improved to accommodate AVs, but they must also have enough room for human error.

Of course, cars are getting better and better and, once we create enough security room for human error, collisions will get fewer and fewer.

The spiral effect of this will be the reduction of car warranty premiums for completely autonomous cars.

Also, you are likely to get a prolonged car warranty in the future because, after all, the risks are fewer and less severe.

2. Address problems emanating from bad weather

Driverless cars will be relying heavily on sensors and detailed mapping software to identify different objects on the road and predict their possible course of action.

Roads will be able to classify objects, people, and cars into their respective categories before deciding the most appropriate response to have in a given situation.

Imagine a case where pedestrians are crossing the road.

The road sensors must specialize in reading the pedestrians’ intentions and communicate with the cars.

Speed and accuracy are both of essence here because a one-second mistiming can lead to a fatal collision.

Although this technology has a faster, more instantaneous reaction time than humans, there are challenges that could plague it if not addressed.

That challenge is unfavorable weather.

The sensor cameras, for example, can be blurred by fog or snowfall, consequently reducing their object-detection ability

Low-angle sunlight in the evening can also be confused with traffic lights, so the sensors collect the wrong data.

To avoid such misinterpretations, the cameras and sensors must be improved to the point where they are able to withstand bad weather.

Furthermore, less related to the bad weather, and more to the climate crisis of today, it is important to develop AVs with an adequate auto tint complex.

This is so they will be able to withstand increasing UV radiation that penetrates our planet’s ozone layer.

3. Autonomous Vehicles: Address the cybersecurity risk

Cybersecurity cases are on the rise, so the chances of hackers gaining access to sensors and other smart city software should not be ignored.

Note that a simple software manipulation- e.g. a false sensor alert- can bring an entire city to a standstill.

Now imagine the confusion and panic that would precipitate from hackers taking charge of the entire traffic control infrastructure.

They can even maliciously stop response cars such as ambulances, firefighting trucks, and law-enforcement vehicles from accessing accident or crime scenes.

Cybersecurity on our roads must be foolproof before cars get completely autonomous.

One way of doing this will be to ensure that you buy a VPN for your AV.

Sensors and detection software on the road must also be protected by a VPN.

In conclusion

Because autonomous vehicles depend on machine learning systems to operate smoothly, the three concerns above must be sorted out in order to make our roads safe.

The autonomous technology will be fed with huge datasets of road images.

They will make smart cities more efficient, but this could be counterproductive if hackers steal such important data.

Additional Considerations

It is of importance to discuss how addressing the issues above can lead to safer and more sustainable roads.

That is if autonomous vehicles are designed to be electric.

As we know, modern cars of today are one of the greatest contributors of Greenhouse Gasses.

Given the climate crisis, it is of utmost priority that these vehicles are designed to operate in a way that addresses these climate issues.

However, regardless of the future of the AV industry, it should be clear to everybody that action is crucial now and always.

Therefore, one way these issues could be targeted is to consider other viable transportation alternatives such as public means or even bikes.

If you would like to keep your bike contemporary, you can invest in an electric bike kit.

This will ensure that you get to places without relying on automated software.

It is of importance to establish habits that keep your Carbon Footprint to sustainable levels.

Prepared by Patrick O’Brien

Author Bio:

Andin Bicknell is a tech enthusiast and a Data Science graduate at Georgetown University. He has a passion for writing tech-related articles. When he has time on his hand, he’s out exploring the wild.

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