When cars were invented, horses were replaced by engines, saddles were replaced by seats, and reins were replaced by a steering wheel and foot pedals. There were no seat belts, safety bumpers, anti-lock brakes or other safety equipment. Windshields were optional. The Model T had a top speed of 40-45 miles per hour, which, considering the lack of safety equipment, was pretty fast.
That was more than one hundred years ago. Technology has progressed through the years, from seat belts to safety bumpers, to anti-lock brakes, airbags, and a host of other safety features. More recent innovations include forward collision warning and lane departure assist, among others. Even though vehicles today have so many safety features, there are still more than 38,000 vehicle-related fatalities on American roads every year. The number of injuries where medical attention is sought is roughly 4.8 million.
The cause of most accidents is human error; distracted driving, speeding, drunk driving, and reckless driving are the top four causes of accidents. If we could eliminate these and other driver-related factors, the number of accidents would drop significantly. The question is, of course, how to improve driving skills or better yet, take the driver out of the equation.
Enter autonomous vehicles, vehicles capable of maneuvering through the streets without any input from a human driver. Manufacturers have been working on the concept for a number of years. In 2017, Volvo stated a goal that no one will be killed or seriously injured in any of its vehicles by 2020, Nissan promised ten new autonomous vehicles in the next four years, and Elon Musk was predicting that within one or two years you would be able to summon a Tesla from the other side of the country. Other manufacturers made similar predictions, and many companies have been testing various technologies in order to make fully autonomous vehicles a reality. But we are not there yet, even though Tesla talks about its Full Self-Driving functions.
But what determines whether or not a vehicle is considered to be autonomous? First, a scale of 0 to 5 is used to indicate a vehicle's capability of being driven with less than full human attention or interaction, with 0 being the driver doing all the driving, and 5 being the vehicle is autonomously performing all driving tasks without any human intervention. Between level 0 and 5 there may be various levels of technology that assist with tasks and warn the driver of certain hazards, but the driver still must be engaged on some level. For example, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warnings, blind-spot warnings, and lane centering, all provide the driver with additional information helpful in driving, but the driver must remain in control.
Level 0 has no assistive features that would affect the maneuvering of the vehicle. Emergency braking systems don't technically drive the vehicle, so while they may be present, they are not considered as driving technology.
Level 1 has a single automated feature for driving assistance such as cruise control. Adaptive cruise control allows the vehicle to keep a safe distance from the car in front of the vehicle, but the driver controls the steering and braking.
Level 2 automation is considered partial driving automation, where the vehicle can control steering, acceleration, and deceleration. Tesla Autopilot and Cadillac's Super Cruise are considered level 2 autonomy.
Level 3 is an advanced level, and is capable of detecting environmental situations and making decisions, such as detecting and accelerating past a slow-moving vehicle. However the driver must be prepared to take over the system at any time.
Level 4 vehicles have the ability to drive and monitor the environment above the abilities of level 3, and generally are limited to particular areas to operate in, such as areas where the speed limit doesn't exceed 30 mph. Level 4 technology is good for ridesharing and delivery of goods.
Level 5 is fully autonomous, where the vehicle does not need human intervention, and the vehicle can operate without a steering wheel, accelerator, or brake pedals. These vehicles are not limited as to distance or area, and so can go anyplace any other vehicle can go.
Despite Tesla's publicity about Full-Self Driving capabilities, the vehicles are still considered level 2 autonomous. There are no fully autonomous vehicles available to the public for sale. There are, however, some fully autonomous services being provided in a few test areas.
Waymo One is a ride-hailing service currently operating in some areas of Phoenix. Similar to Uber or Lyft, the rider hails a vehicle by using the Waymo One app to order a vehicle to pick up the rider. The rider can adjust the trip and add up to five different stops along the way. A rider can go to the grocery store and then pick up dry cleaning, for example. The service is fully autonomous, with no safety driver in the front seat. The vehicles are limited to certain areas and are equipped with multiple redundant safety systems in event of an emergency. There are plans to extend the service to San Francisco, but currently that is still in testing.
But autonomous technology doesn't just apply to private passenger vehicles. With the shortage of truck drivers, having autonomous technology would allow goods to be moved across the country on a 24-hour basis. Without drivers, the trucks can keep moving without needing to stop for drivers to rest. There are other considerations of course, such as refueling the vehicles and the loading and unloading of the goods. While much of the technology is the same, the sheer size of the vehicle and the logistics of turning and navigating that vehicle in traffic brings a different element to the task at hand. Maneuvering an 18-wheeler is different from maneuvering a four-door sedan. Advances are being made however, as evidenced last December when a semi-truck completed an 80-mile freight route test in Arizona with no human on board and no intervention during the trip using TuSimple technology. A lead vehicle scouted the route for unexpected obstacles about five miles ahead of the autonomous semi, and a trailing vehicle following about one-half mile behind the truck was prepared to intervene if necessary, along with several unmarked police vehicles. TuSimple said the semi successfully navigated highway lane changes, traffic signals, on-ramps and off-ramps while "naturally interacting with other motorists."
Technology will continue to progress, and more and more safety features will be available in vehicles that will allow drivers to let the car perform some functions. This is problematic, and studies have shown that once people get used to the presence of assistive technology, they rely on it too much, and aren't paying close attention to driving, so that if they have to suddenly take over for the vehicle they are not prepared. Fully autonomous vehicles are still a ways off; there is a tremendous amount of complicated technology needed before vehicles can fully drive on their own in any location without oversight or input from a human driver.