Should be on our roads within two years according to The Transport Secretary. I certainly understand that it’s the future and perhaps it’s my age here but I just don’t think it’s ready yet is it ?
I think the term ‘driverless’ is a little misleading as you will need a driver at all times but they will not be driving all of the time. Ultimately every car will be fully driverless but how we get from where we are now to that situation is something I can’t get my head around …. yet.
Quite a few Universities are already involved in trials of driverless shuttle buses, designed to take people around campus. These are generally small scale at the moment and I have no idea if/when they will be ready for wider use.
The leading company behind this is Wayve AI. There’s still some challenges here though. A lot of engine providers aren’t liking their engines being remapped to fit the tech and are making it more and more difficult for external technology to be fitted.
Yes , but some are very bad at it . 1400+ deaths per annum plus large number of injuries mainly from lack of attention and poor decision making.This has been going on for years. No doubt there will be an uneasy transition but computers will be better. No emotion, angry drivers late for something.
The elimination of accidents would surely only happen if everyone was in driverless cars. Hard to see how we’d ever get to that point and how long it will take. Especially now that Rishi is on the side of the motorist..
Personally I think it’s going to be an insurance nightmare for years. Eventually when the technology is faultless and established it will completely take over 99% of all trips but the years of transition will be very difficult.
I've said this on here before I think but I've looked into this a fair bit before and worked in the transport sector on this a bit. We should really use the term Connected Autonomous Vehicles (CAV's) as the key part of it working is the connected part. Every vehicle needs to be able to talk to all the others around it.
I think trying to take the concept of CAV's and force them to fit into our current road system is the wrong way to think about it. What we should be doing is completely rethinking the concept of how we get around based on the driverless concept.
Has anyone seen minority report. In cities and on motorways driverless pods on tracks and adaptable vehicles for outside those areas. That's the model for the future. Of course the question then is on infrastructure and managing the transition.
Yes , but some are very bad at it . 1400+ deaths per annum plus large number of injuries mainly from lack of attention and poor decision making.This has been going on for years. No doubt there will be an uneasy transition but computers will be better. No emotion, angry drivers late for something.
I think the biggest issue with drivers is their inability to know where their limits are. A relatively good driver skill wise is probably more likely to cause an accident through excessive speed. A more limited driver who knows his or her limitations is much safer. Driverless cars will ultimately fix this I suppose. When it fully happens it will change the type of cars people buy as what will be the point of a high performance car if a computer is driving it sensibly?
Personally I think it’s going to be an insurance nightmare for years. Eventually when the technology is faultless and established it will completely take over 99% of all trips but the years of transition will be very difficult.
Personally I think it’s going to be an insurance nightmare for years. Eventually when the technology is faultless and established it will completely take over 99% of all trips but the years of transition will be very difficult.
Technology surely only has to be less fautless than humans in this case.
Technolgy is designed by humans so will inevitably be faulty. Unclear how any transition will work given the complexity of the planning involved.
AI will change everything with regard to design and implementation of technology. I have no doubt that it will eventually be effectively faultless but that’s probably a decade or so away. Until then I think something like driverless cars will be problematic. I’d imagine that for quite a long time being driven but needing to be alert and ready to take control will be unbelievably stressful. The transition will be very interesting.
Back in the eighties my old escort seemed to get me home by itself with minimum input from me but if technology gets to the point the car does it all, I'm in.
So who exactly is pushing for driverless cars, and why?
I don't think I've met one person in real life who thinks this is a good thing, or is something to be excited about.
Just because we can do something doesn't mean we should do it.
The one area I can see a big benefit is motorway driving. It would definitely remove the phantom traffic jams where drivers are so determined to drive up someone's backside and then have to constantly tapping the brakes causing that concertina effect causing traffic jams. It would remove the dangerous driving by idiots meaning motorways are quicker and safer. I'd say it would remove the monotony of motorway driving as you could occupy yourself with other things but I'm sure there would be rules about having to focus on the road.
There probably is a case for making inner city driving safer with them however it seems we're a way off the technology being able to accommodate all the hazards that are the norm in cities. Assuming that can be done it would probably make the experience of driving around somewhere like London a lot less stressful.
I like the idea of a car that will take me home from the pub when I've had one too many, but if I'm expected to still be in control, it's no good to me.
I think colthe3rd makes a good point about motorway traffic. Potentially there could benefits around town too, for example slashing journey times by syncing traffic flows with traffic light patterns. But for that to work properly it would need all cars to cede control to some sort of central algorithm. I suspect that technology at that level is still a long way off, would be frowned upon by people who enjoy driving (or who use enjoyment of driving as an excuse to gain a personal advantage over other road users), and would probably be a security nightmare as it would be an obvious target for terrorists or blackmailing hackers.
So who exactly is pushing for driverless cars, and why?
I don't think I've met one person in real life who thinks this is a good thing, or is something to be excited about.
Just because we can do something doesn't mean we should do it.
The one area I can see a big benefit is motorway driving. It would definitely remove the phantom traffic jams where drivers are so determined to drive up someone's backside and then have to constantly tapping the brakes causing that concertina effect causing traffic jams. It would remove the dangerous driving by idiots meaning motorways are quicker and safer. I'd say it would remove the monotony of motorway driving as you could occupy yourself with other things but I'm sure there would be rules about having to focus on the road.
There probably is a case for making inner city driving safer with them however it seems we're a way off the technology being able to accommodate all the hazards that are the norm in cities. Assuming that can be done it would probably make the experience of driving around somewhere like London a lot less stressful.
Yes, this is a mathematical issue humans can't understand but when there is a high volume of traffic, a simple and short application of the brakes causes jams down the line. A computer would avoid this and massively increase the capacity of roads. I enjoy driving but maybe it shouldn't be something you enjoy, being honest.
Anyone thinking this concept has anything to do with anything other than making money for the big players of the world needs to give their heads a wobble.
Safety, traffic management, getting Joe Bloggs home from the pub?? All bollox! It’s about automaton of driving jobs, delivery drivers and transport drivers etc take out human personnel and that’s a lot extra coffers into the company accounts and a lot less hassle. No working hours limitations, no unions to have to deal with.
Yeah I’m a taxi driver so I have a vested interest but saying that I’m certain it won’t be a factor in my working lifetime.
If we keep finding ways of making people unemployed I’d love someone to explain just how the economy etc is going to work in the future
Aren't you concerned about privacy? If the database is breached, I suppose personal information like where you have been would be leaked. Or even worse, if the system is hacked, it'd be like you'd be constantly traced wherever you go. Certainly a good thing for the police department but...
Personally speaking, I don't mind all the CCTVs. I remember reading about British people not liking so much surveillance so I wonder if this driverless technology would be a concern for you? Especially after reading CantersAddick's post where he says "Every vehicle needs to be able to talk to all the others around it".
Anyone thinking this concept has anything to do with anything other than making money for the big players of the world needs to give their heads a wobble.
Safety, traffic management, getting Joe Bloggs home from the pub?? All bollox! It’s about automaton of driving jobs, delivery drivers and transport drivers etc take out human personnel and that’s a lot extra coffers into the company accounts and a lot less hassle. No working hours limitations, no unions to have to deal with.
Yeah I’m a taxi driver so I have a vested interest but saying that I’m certain it won’t be a factor in my working lifetime.
If we keep finding ways of making people unemployed I’d love someone to explain just how the economy etc is going to work in the future
It is a good point you make and our economy isn't set up for sharing the benefits of this more evenly. With AI we now have clerical jobs at threat too. We have also seen in supermarkets, DIY tills and the automation in banks and the closure of branches. These are all jobs. I don't think we can stop it so a new system needs to be developed to ensure people don't get spit out by it.
I tried to resist the latter two. I would insist on paying cheques in (for my business) with a person. When told I can do it with the machine, I would reply that I am trying to save your jobs. Once I got the reply, that's ok, I'm retiring next month. Same with supermarkets, I tried to avoid the self service tills but they stop giving you options. They are actually happy now for big queues in the manned check outs which forces you to use the automated ones.
If you have a mobile phone they can track you already. If Big Brother is interested in the fact I've had to go to Tesco three times in two days because I keep forgetting stuff, there can't be much else going on.
Anyone thinking this concept has anything to do with anything other than making money for the big players of the world needs to give their heads a wobble.
Safety, traffic management, getting Joe Bloggs home from the pub?? All bollox! It’s about automaton of driving jobs, delivery drivers and transport drivers etc take out human personnel and that’s a lot extra coffers into the company accounts and a lot less hassle. No working hours limitations, no unions to have to deal with.
Yeah I’m a taxi driver so I have a vested interest but saying that I’m certain it won’t be a factor in my working lifetime.
If we keep finding ways of making people unemployed I’d love someone to explain just how the economy etc is going to work in the future
It is a good point you make and our economy isn't set up for sharing the benefits of this more evenly. With AI we now have clerical jobs at threat too. We have also seen in supermarkets, DIY tills and the automation in banks and the closure of branches. These are all jobs. I don't think we can stop it so a new system needs to be developed to ensure people don't get spit out by it.
I tried to resist the latter two. I would insist on paying cheques in (for my business) with a person. When told I can do it with the machine, I would reply that I am trying to save your jobs. Once I got the reply, that's ok, I'm retiring next month. Same with supermarkets, I tried to avoid the self service tills but they stop giving you options. They are actually happy now for big queues in the manned check outs which forces you to use the automated ones.
I have remembered part of our holiday in 2022. We drove to Italy for a tour of the sights. High in the alps the sat nav wanted to take us down a path you would have difficulty walking down on foot. I could see that and ignored the instruction to turn left down it which would have killed us. Also when there are floods, even a safe stretch of road can be a danger. Would the driverless cars know? The answer is probably not which is why a qualified driver will have to be at the wheel for the initial implementation years to overide driving off mountains or into deep flood water etc... I'm pretty sure they won't be able to be over the limit, so the drive you home from the pub option won't be one fr quite a while I suspect.
Personally I can't wait for this to be viable, as I honestly think most people don't enjoy driving and would be far happier being driven by their car, whilst they can concentrate on updating their socials, chatting with friends and applying their make-up, all the things they currently incorporate in their drive. As a HGV driver that spends all day on the roads, it's shocking to see some of the idiots on our roads. I lose count of how many "drivers" I see on a daily basis watching Netflix (or the like) whilst driving. I think if they had the option to switch the car to auto, they would. It would also be a positive for the elderly who still need transport, but are getting a bit to "doddery" to navigate our roads. I also ride motorbikes and I think there's less chance of an autonomous car pulling out on me at junctions. Personally, I enjoy driving (London excluded) and wouldn't want that taken away from me, but I just feel that most would be happy for their car to become their own personal Uber.
I love cars and it causes a bit of a dilema for me inside. By that I mean, some cars are too powerful for the driver and far more powerful than they need to be. That doesn't just apply to sports cars. Now that is fine whilst watching Top Gear and they are fun to drive, but should cars on public roads be fun to drive fast? I know there are many drivers who can handle them, but there are people who can't. A youngster passing their test should be driving a 1 litre car (not one of those boosted ones either) for at least 3 years. Same with people who go over their points limit.
Comments
Ultimately every car will be fully driverless but how we get from where we are now to that situation is something I can’t get my head around …. yet.
The leading company behind this is Wayve AI. There’s still some challenges here though. A lot of engine providers aren’t liking their engines being remapped to fit the tech and are making it more and more difficult for external technology to be fitted.
No doubt there will be an uneasy transition but computers will be better. No emotion, angry drivers late for something.
I think trying to take the concept of CAV's and force them to fit into our current road system is the wrong way to think about it. What we should be doing is completely rethinking the concept of how we get around based on the driverless concept.
Has anyone seen minority report. In cities and on motorways driverless pods on tracks and adaptable vehicles for outside those areas. That's the model for the future. Of course the question then is on infrastructure and managing the transition.
I don't think I've met one person in real life who thinks this is a good thing, or is something to be excited about.
Just because we can do something doesn't mean we should do it.
There probably is a case for making inner city driving safer with them however it seems we're a way off the technology being able to accommodate all the hazards that are the norm in cities. Assuming that can be done it would probably make the experience of driving around somewhere like London a lot less stressful.
I think colthe3rd makes a good point about motorway traffic. Potentially there could benefits around town too, for example slashing journey times by syncing traffic flows with traffic light patterns. But for that to work properly it would need all cars to cede control to some sort of central algorithm. I suspect that technology at that level is still a long way off, would be frowned upon by people who enjoy driving (or who use enjoyment of driving as an excuse to gain a personal advantage over other road users), and would probably be a security nightmare as it would be an obvious target for terrorists or blackmailing hackers.
take out human personnel and that’s a lot extra coffers into the company accounts and a lot less hassle. No working hours limitations, no unions to have to deal with.
Personally speaking, I don't mind all the CCTVs. I remember reading about British people not liking so much surveillance so I wonder if this driverless technology would be a concern for you? Especially after reading CantersAddick's post where he says "Every vehicle needs to be able to talk to all the others around it".
I tried to resist the latter two. I would insist on paying cheques in (for my business) with a person. When told I can do it with the machine, I would reply that I am trying to save your jobs. Once I got the reply, that's ok, I'm retiring next month. Same with supermarkets, I tried to avoid the self service tills but they stop giving you options. They are actually happy now for big queues in the manned check outs which forces you to use the automated ones.
Bring it on I say.