How Close Are We To Autonomous Cars?

According to people like Elon Musk, autonomous cars are inevitable. Tech giants such as Google and Tesla have in fact run partly successful trials with driverless cars! But how close are we really to bringing autonomous cars into the mainstream? It's important to understand the various classifications of automation, which are divided into 5 levels. Level 1 is driver assistance, whereby the vehicle can help control either steering or braking on its own. Level 2 is partial automation, where the car can do both of these tasks at the same time. Level 3 is known as conditional automation, where the car can temporarily take care of itself in the short term, and level 4 is high automation, where the car can take full control for a longer period of time, allowing the driver to focus elsewhere. Level 5, full automation, is where the car does everything on its own.

So where are we now? According to Bryan Reimer of the Society of Automotive Engineers, we’re somewhere between levels 2 and 3. Reimer claims that while we haven’t yet made a safe, fully autonomous vehicle, the technology exists to do so, “Volvo, for example, already has technology that allows their cars to communicate with each other and alert drivers of hazards via a cloud-based network,” He explains. The thing that’s actually holding us back is our infrastructure. “The reality is, today's infrastructure is not well equipped for autonomy. Potholes, poor lane markings, and all the other crumbling aspects of our nation's infrastructure aren't going to support high-tech well.” Traffic laws are also a big obstacle for automated cars, “Governments will have to initially find a way for autonomous vehicles to safely navigate public roads amongst traditional cars. A possible solution could be designated lanes, similar to the bus lanes found in certain cities.”

One more issue that has to be addressed is the public’s perception of automated driving. A recent study by Forbes magazine found that 3 out 4 Americans were fearful of riding in a fully autonomous car, as they would have no control over their own safety. Even though manual driving is recognized as one of our most dangerous everyday activities, it appears that most of the public would rather take the risk.