During a recent Telemundo newscast, Ricardo Rodriguez Long, the president of Hispanic Motor Press, shared statistics on the progress of autonomous cars. The development of self-driving cars is based on the idea that they will ultimately save lives by reducing road accidents and fatalities. However, comparisons between human-driven vehicles and autonomous vehicles have yielded mixed results. Rodriguez Long mentioned that last year, 75 accidents were reported in California involving self-driving cars operating under a special program approved by the state to promote the advancement of this technology.
In addition, the manufacturers also reported more than 4,500 incidents where the car lost control of the situation in which it was found. Thanks to the fact that a driver is behind the wheel, those situations did not end badly. These reports are made voluntarily by the manufacturers.
Statistics on the causes of traffic accidents make it clear: more than 90 percent of traffic accidents in the US are related to some driver error. Eliminating these errors would save many lives.
Consumers today find themselves in a state of confusion, as many manufacturers use names for their systems that include words like autopilot. It’s crucial to be aware that, of the five levels of autonomous driving, only level two is legal. This level requires a person to be attentive to the road, behind the wheel, and ready to take control of the vehicle immediately. Furthermore, the vehicle is limited to certain permitted areas to advance to level 2.
We are far from an autonomous car since it is tough to replicate all the possible causes or situations that can occur when driving in the city surrounded by thousands of other vehicles.
Autonomous vehicles are coming. But it will not be as quickly as we hear from some manufacturers.
