Driverless cars: a guide to current and future tech

  • MRenk's Avatar
    Administrator
    Driverless cars, also known as autonomous vehicles or self-driving cars, have been in development for a little while – and will be on our roads sooner than you think.

    But how do they work? When will they be available? Are they safe? Are they legal?

    In an effort to find out, we discuss the issues that driverless cars must overcome and go over the infrastructure, legislative and technological developments that must happen before fully automated driving becomes a reality.

    Full Article:
    https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/driverless-car/driverless-cars-guide/
    Last edited by Marc; 20-09-22 at 08:23.
  • 3 Replies

  • Marc's Avatar
    Former Community Manager
    A driverless car won't put its driver or others at risk in accidents caused by potentially dangerous human behaviors or conditions like speeding, reckless driving, drowsiness, distracted driving or impairment due to alcohol or drugs.

    Very interesting and valid points @Joseph12
    Wouldn't the 'human driver' inside it have some sort of power to override, to take control? Bring all those human behaviours back....
    Or would we be happy to get into an autonomous vehicle with no means of human override?
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  • Snowball's Avatar
    It is too easy to believe that driverless car technology is/will be foolproof. My main concern is that either the vehicle or the road infrastructure technology may at any time develop a fault which could bring disastrous results. Would the β€œoperator” of a driverless vehicle be as acutely aware as a normally active driver to respond rapidly enough in such an emergency?
    What I do know is that, if I were a passenger in a driverless car, I would be in a state of extreme nervousness until I alighted from the vehicle.
    For safety, a driverless car will never replace a good driver. Yes, a driver can make an error, but a driver can correct his/her error in good time, whereas a technical fault in a driverless car can be of a magnitude that control fails and the vehicle enters into an unavoidable collision.
  • Marc's Avatar
    Former Community Manager
    What I do know is that, if I were a passenger in a driverless car, I would be in a state of extreme nervousness until I alighted from the vehicle.

    I have to admit, I do agree with this @Snowball
    My prediction is that the insurance companies will disagree, and decide it'll be much more profitable for them to offer low insurance on driverless cars, and stupidly high insurance on human-controlled cars.
    So, yep, it would mean only the super-rich get to drive I suppose?