Self-driving cars

[[File:Waymo self-driving car front view.gk.jpg|thumb|right|I, for one, welcome our new robot drop bear overlords.]]{{technav}}
'''Self-driving cars''' also known as an autonomous [[car]]s, denote a range of (steadily improving) experimental vehicles, offering the central novelty of being able to drive themselves.

For this reason, both [[hype]] and fears surrounding the concept can seem overblown at times.{{efn|Here, we recommend sticking to the old developer adage of "It's done when it's done".}}

=="R2, take the wheel!"==
Self-driving cars use a variety of techniques to detect their surroundings, such as radar, laser light (lidar), GPS, odometry, and computer vision. Advanced control systems interpret sensory information to identify appropriate navigation paths, as well as obstacles and relevant signage.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.motortrend.com/features/auto_news/2012/1301_the_beginning_of_the_end_of_driving/|title=The Beginning of the End of Driving|last=Lassa|first=Todd|date=January 2013|work=Motor Trend|accessdate=1 September 2014}}</ref><ref>[http://www.smart-systems-integration.org/public/documents/publications/EPoSS%20Roadmap_Smart%20Systems%20for%20Automated%20Driving_2015_V1.pdf ''European Roadmap Smart Systems for Automated Driving''], European Technology Platform on Smart Systems Integration (EPoSS), 2015.</ref> Autonomous cars have control systems that are capable of analyzing sensory data to distinguish between different vehicles on the road, which is very useful in planning a path to the desired destination.<ref>{{Cite journal|title = Vehicle detection in driving simulation using extreme learning machine|url = http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0925231213010126|journal = Neurocomputing|date = 2014-03-27|pages = 160–165|volume = 128|first = Wentao|last = Zhu|first2 = Jun|last2 = Miao|first3 = Jiangbi|last3 = Hu|first4 = Laiyun|last4 = Qing}}</ref>

Some demonstrative systems, precursory to autonomous cars, date back to the 1920s and 1930s. The first self-sufficient (and therefore, truly autonomous) cars appeared in the 1980s, with Carnegie Mellon University's Navlab and ALV projects in 1984 and Mercedes-Benz and Bundeswehr University Munich's Eureka Prometheus Project in 1987. A major milestone was achieved in 1995, with Carnegie Mellon University's NavLab 5 completing the first autonomous coast-to-coast drive of the United States. Of the 2,849 miles between Pittsburgh and San Diego, 2,797 miles were autonomous (98.2%), completed with an average speed of 63.8 miles per hour (102.3&nbsp;km/h).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cmu.edu/news/stories/archives/2015/july/look-ma-no-hands.html|title=Look, Ma, No Hands-CMU News - Carnegie Mellon University|last=University|first=Carnegie Mellon|website=www.cmu.edu|access-date=2017-03-02}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~tjochem/nhaa/navlab5_details.html|title=Navlab 5 Details|website=www.cs.cmu.edu|access-date=2017-03-02}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.roboticstrends.com/article/back_to_the_future_autonomous_driving_in_1995|title=Back to the Future: Autonomous Driving in 1995 - Robotics Trends|last=Crowe|first=Steve|website=www.roboticstrends.com|access-date=2017-03-02}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs/usr/tjochem/www/nhaa/Journal.html|title=NHAA Journal|website=www.cs.cmu.edu|access-date=2017-03-05}}</ref> Since then, numerous major companies and research organizations have developed working prototype autonomous vehicles.

Already, there are aftermarket autonomous cars available. These cars have all the hardware they will need, and await only a software update.

==Potential benefits==
Among the potential benefits of autonomous cars is a significant reduction in traffic collisions,<ref name="morgan">[http://www.businessinsider.com/morgan-stanley-autonomous-cars-trillion-dollars-2014-9 Autonomous Cars Could Save The US $1.3 Trillion Dollars A Year]. ''Business Insider'', 12 September 2014.</ref> the resulting injuries, and related costs, including a lower need for insurance. Autonomous cars are also predicted to offer major increases in traffic flow;<ref name="Gibson">{{cite web |url=http://www.bbc.com/autos/story/20160428-how-ai-will-solve-traffic-part-one |title=Can we banish the phantom traffic jam?|first=David K |last=Gibson |publisher=BBC |date=28 April 2016}}</ref> enhanced mobility for [[children]], the elderly,<ref name="tooOld">{{cite web|url=http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/licensing/olderdriver_changes.html|title=Older driver licensing requirements in New South Wales, Australia}}</ref> [[disabled]] and [[poor people]]; a decrease in intoxicated driving; the relief of travelers from driving and navigation chores; lower fuel consumption; significantly reduced needs for parking space in cities;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bmwblog.com/2010/10/10/bmw-remote-controlled-parking/ |title=BMW Remote Controlled Parking}}</ref> a reduction in [[crime]];<ref name="Miller">{{cite news|last=Miller|first=Owen|title=Robotic Cars and Their New Crime Paradigms|accessdate=4 September 2014|url=https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/article/20140903073835-260074537-robotic-cars-and-their-new-crime-paradigms}}</ref> and the facilitation of different business models for mobility as a service, especially those involved in the gig economy{{efn|[[Euphemism|Euphemistically]] called the "sharing economy" by corporate [[PR]].}} (expect Uber and Lyft gig drivers to be put out of work en masse).<ref name="theenergycollective.com">[http://theenergycollective.com/jemillerep/464721/self-driving-car-technology-s-benefits-potential-risks-and-solutions Self-Driving Car Technology's Benefits, Potential Risks, and Solutions] by John Miller (August 19, 2014) ''The Energy Collective'' (archived from October 14, 2014).</ref><ref name="Whitwam">{{cite news|url=http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/189486-how-googles-self-driving-cars-detect-and-avoid-obstacles|title=How Google’s self-driving cars detect and avoid obstacles|last=Whitwam|first=Ryan|date=8 September 2014|work=ExtremeTech|accessdate=4 June 2015}}</ref> Self-driving cars allow employees to work extra hours doing computer work during the commute. Unless you're a skilled hacker, stealing a car becomes very difficult when it has no steering wheel. And imagine being able to take your self-driving car down to the pub and have a few without fear of winning yourself a DUI on the way home!

Another benefit of autonomous cars could well be the reduction in insurance premiums due to the potential for significant reductions in traffic collisions. This could also reduce other costs such as medical insurance and repairs.

Self-driving cars have potential environmental gains, largely gas is burned when driving at high speeds, braking, and re-accelerating excessively. Self-driving vehicles reduce or eliminate ([[electric car]]) these factors, meaning less gas is burned, resulting in less air [[pollution]] potentially.

==Obstacles to adoption==
Among the main obstacles to widespread adoption of autonomous vehicles, in addition to the technological challenges, are disputes concerning liability; the time period needed to turn an existing stock of vehicles from non-autonomous to autonomous; resistance by individuals to forfeit control of their cars; consumer concern about the safety of driverless cars; implementation of legal framework and establishment of [[government]] regulations for self-driving cars; risk of loss of [[privacy]] and security concerns, such as [[hacker]]s or [[terrorism]]; concerns about the resulting loss of driving-related jobs in the road transport industry; and risk of increased suburbanization as driving becomes faster and less onerous without proper public policies in place to avoid more urban sprawl<ref>[https://medium.com/99-mph/introducing-the-marchetti-a-unit-of-measure-for-transit-379aa51170a4 Why self-driving cars will cause sprawl (according to an Italian Physicist)] by Phil Levin (March 14, 2018) ''Medium''.</ref> ({{wpl|Jevons paradox}}). Many of these issues are due to the fact that autonomous things such as autonomous vehicles (and unmanned aerial vehicle/self-navigating drones) are allowing, for the first time, the computers to roam freely, with all the related safety and security concerns. It probably isn't the first step toward ''[[The Matrix]]'', but you don't want to look back on the past and wonder how we didn't see it coming, do you?

==Crashes==
The {{wpl|National Highway Traffic Safety Administration}} (NHTSA) began mandating incident reports from autonomous vehicle companies in June 2021, with current data available to June 17, 2024. There have been a total of 3,979 autonomous vehicle incidents (both ADS and ADAS) reported during this time-frame. 2,146 of those incidents (53.9%) involved [[Elon Musk]]'s [[Tesla]] vehicles. Following [[Donald Trump]]'s re-eelection in 2024, Musk's savage [[Department of Government Efficiency|DOGE]] program savagely fired government workers across many agencies, and unsurprisingly disproportionately fired NHTSA’s self-driving safety staff.<ref>[https://techcrunch.com/2025/04/10/nhtsas-self-driving-safety-staff-reportedly-disproportionally-affected-by-doge-cuts/ NHTSA’s self-driving safety staff reportedly ‘disproportionally affected’ by DOGE cuts] by Sean O'Kane (8:30 AM PDT · April 10, 2025) ''Tech Crunch''.</ref>

The first injury case due to a self-driving car involved a [[Google]] vehicle on July 1<sup>st</sup> 2015.<ref name=cbs2015>[http://www.cbsnews.com/news/google-driverless-car-involved-in-first-injury-causing-accident/ Google driverless car involved in first injury-causing crash], CBS News, July 17, 2015</ref> It was not the first accident involving a Google car, but the first blamed on the autonomous driving functionality: overall it was the 14<sup>th</sup> accident in six years and about 1.9 million miles of testing. Chris Urmson, head of Google's self-driving car program, says 11 of the 14 incidents involved Google vehicles being rear-ended, perhaps by drivers distracted by their phones.<ref name=cbs2015/> 

A self-driving Tesla Model S car crashed on May 7<sup>th</sup> 2016 while in self-driving mode and killed the driver, after the car's cameras failed to detect a tractor-trailer crossing its path.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/01/business/self-driving-tesla-fatal-crash-investigation.html?_r=0 Self-Driving Tesla Was Involved in Fatal Crash, U.S. Says], New York Times, July 1, 2016</ref> On March 18 2018 a self-driving [[Uber]] hit and killed a pedestrian in Tempe, [[Arizona]].<ref>[https://news.vice.com/en_us/article/kzxq3y/self-driving-uber-killed-a-pedestrian-as-human-safety-driver-watched Self-driving Uber killed a pedestrian as human safety driver watched], Vice, Mar 19, 2018</ref> A subsequent investigation of this incident by the NTSB raised serious concerns about the software of the self-driving car itself. The NTSB found in its preliminary investigation published in May 2018 that the emergency braking system had been disabled and despite the system detecting the woman on the road over six seconds before the crash, the brakes were not engaged until 1.3 seconds before the car killed the woman. No software faults were detected.<ref>[https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/05/24/614200117/ntsb-uber-self-driving-car-had-disabled-emergency-brake-system-before-fatal-cras NTSB: Uber Self-Driving Car Had Disabled Emergency Brake System Before Fatal Crash], NPR National Public Radio, 24 May 2018</ref>

On March 23<sup>rd</sup> 2018 there was another fatal accident when a Tesla using its Autopilot self-drive system hit a concrete lane divider, killing the driver.<ref name=wired2018>[https://www.wired.com/story/tesla-autopilot-self-driving-crash-california/ Tesla's Autopilot was involved in another deadly car crash], ''Wired'', Mar 30, 2018</ref>  There is also controversy over a crash in [[China]] in January 2016 involving a Tesla; the vehicle's driver was killed and his family have claimed in a lawsuit that he had the autopilot engaged.<ref>[https://jalopnik.com/two-years-on-a-father-is-still-fighting-tesla-over-aut-1823189786 Two Years On, A Father Is Still Fighting Tesla Over Autopilot And His Son's Fatal Crash ], Jalopnik, Feb 27, 2018</ref>

By comparison, worldwide almost 1.3 million people are killed each year in traffic accidents involving human-driven vehicles.<ref name=asirt>[http://asirt.org/initiatives/informing-road-users/road-safety-facts/road-crash-statistics ASIRT]</ref> In the USA there are 40,000 deaths per year<ref name=asirt/> from 2 trillion miles driven annually by human drivers.<ref>[http://fortune.com/2015/11/17/la-auto-show-vehicle-miles/ The Number of Miles Cars Travel is About to Explode], Fortune, Nov 17, 2015</ref> Most experts believe that autonomous vehicles will eventually reduce accident rates, but convincing evidence that robot cars are safer than humans can only be obtained with further testing,<ref name=wired2018/><ref>[http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-robot-car-safety-pr-20180321-story.html Self-driving cars may ultimately be safer than human drivers. But after a pedestrian's death, will the public buy it?], ''LA Times'', Mar 21, 2018</ref> and independent government analysis that is no longer possible during the Trump regime.

Self-driving cars are currently banned on [[China]]'s highways as the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology drafts the laws regarding them.<ref>[http://www.businessinsider.com/china-temporarily-bans-self-driving-cars-on-highways-2016-7 China temporarily bans self-driving cars on highways]. ''Business Insider'', 22 July 2016.</ref>

==They took yer jerbs!==
Computer scientists and [[economists]] say that self-driving cars pose an existential threat to the many people who drive for a living: 2.9 million truckers and delivery drivers, 674,000 bus drivers, 181,000 cab drivers and chauffeurs.<ref>[http://www.cbsnews.com/news/self-driving-cars-cab-drivers-truckers-out-of-business/ Will self-driving cars put cab drivers, truckers out of business?] ''CBS News'', 3 November 2016.</ref> Google has also been [[lobbying]] [[California]] since 2014 to test motorcycles and trucks in traffic.<ref>Corey Charlton, [http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2721139/Very-easy-rider-Now-Google-plans-driverless-robot-motorbike-wants-permission-start-testing-road.html Very easy rider: Now Google plans driverless robot motorbike&nbsp;— and wants permission to start testing them on the road]. ''Daily Mail'', 10 August 2014.</ref>

==Teh crinimals==
While evasive driving and high speed chases will remain difficult to program into a driverless car,  the [[FBI]] fears it will free up the hands of criminals, ending their dependence on a partner to ride shotgun. There not being a foot on the pedal removes the off switch in the form of the driver, thus making high speed explosive that much harder to disarm, as bomb disarming robots don't move nearly as fast as cars nor are [[EMP]] weapons part of any [[police]] department's equipment.

The FBI aren't total procedurally-pessimistic [[dystopian]] downers though; they also think driverless cars would help speed up traffic and could aid tailing of suspects.<ref>''[http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/fbi-worried-self-driving-cars-could-be-used-bombs-180952082/ The FBI's Next Worry: Self-Driving Car Bombs]''</ref>

==Self-flying jets==
In 2016, former U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert Work expected to see the autonomous aircraft in the skies before driverless vehicles enter service on the ground. According to the Air Force Research Lab, "The onboard autonomy must be sufficient for the Loyal Wingman to complete all basic flight operations untethered from a ground station and without full-time direction from the manned lead."<ref>Clay Dillow, [http://fortune.com/2016/03/30/autonomous-fighter-jets-join-the-f-35/ The Pentagon Wants Autonomous Fighter Jets to Join the F-35 in Combat]. ''Fortune'', 30 March 2016.</ref> As of 202r, drone warfare is common in the [[Russian invasion of Ukraine|Russian war against Ukraine]], and as of 2025 driverless taxis are a common sight in [[San Francisco]], [[California]],<ref>[https://techcrunch.com/2025/10/29/sf-mayor-we-should-be-the-testbed-for-emerging-tech/ San Francisco mayor: ‘We should be the testbed for emerging tech’] by Kirsten Korosec (11:36 AM PDT · October 29, 2025) ''Tech Crunch''.</ref> so it's about a tie (both drones and self-driving taxis currently have remote humans than can issue guidance).

Most modern airliners no longer require a pilot to taxi from the terminal to the runway, take off, fly a planned IFR route, land, or taxi from the runway to a terminal in a major airport.  A pilot still needs to push a few buttons to select the plane's next program, and is still retained on the flight deck in case of an emergency, weather issues or radio interference that would likely require on-the-spot decision making, but otherwise the entire flight could be handled more-or-less autonomously.

==See also==
*[[Drone]]

==External links==
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozcaLnTuidU "The Ethics of Self-Driving Cars"], by [[Philosophy Tube]]

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

[[Category:Engineer woo]]
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[[Category:Protoscience]]
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Categories: Engineer woo, Law, Protoscience, Technology, Transport