The problem is out in the open. It’s the driver. Let’s do away with him. No drunk driving. No over-speeding. No road rage. No cellphone use. The bottom line: no accidents.
Autonomous car technology makes the driver superfluous. Undesirable too. It holds human error responsible for crashes. The idea of a car driving people around safely, through a matrix of intelligent systems, is irresistible. It has in fact long ceased to be an idea. Car majors and researchers have worked on it for years and designed prototypes of autonomous cars. In recent times, there are signs these cars may hit the road sooner than expected.
I am not thinking only of Google’s self-driving car project, which has entered an exciting phase. Its newest prototype, showcased around four months ago, has completely dispensed with the human element. No override features. The machine is devoid of pedals and a steering wheel. It’s on its own.
The latest indication however comes from Asia. A week ago, the Singapore government formed a group to look into the testing of such cars across the city-State. In the United States, ‘thinking cars’ have found favour for sometime with four States inking in legislation allowing them to be tried out on its roads.
As with any grand idea steadily taking shape over a period, expectations for self-driving cars have grown. So have doubts.
For many, removing the driver completely from the picture is radical. High-end cars come with certain elements, which allow for a degree of autonomous functioning. Examples include radar-cruise control, electronic-stability control, lane-departure warning system and parking assistance. These intelligent systems assist a driver. They do not obviate the need for him.
“Autonomous car technology can replace drivers only in certain parts of the world. At this point of time, drivers are irreplaceable in India,” says Prabha Koda.
Along with her husband Harsha Koda, Prabha has clocked over four lakh km in the last 10 years, with most drives undertaken to draw eyes to social causes.
“In India, driving is done largely with human judgment. In fact, safe driving here is not possible without it. There is so much chaos on our roads, which needs human intervention. Driverless cars are possible only when the anomalies in the traffic system are removed. In parts of the world where traffic management is better structured and more orderly, driverless cars may work. Already, in these places, much of the driving is done by cruise control. There, accidents are caused mainly by human carelessness; a driver taking a selfie, for instance. In California, I have seen women at the wheel applying make-up. In such cases, removing the human element in driving helps reduce accidents,” says Prabha, who was involved in a major crash in Orissa in 2011 when the Kodas were on an all-India drive to promote ‘public stem cell banking’.
Self-driving cars rely on a raft of technological aids, including computer vision, radar, lidar and global-positioning system. Creating such a matrix of technology involves a huge use of software and electronics. Besides the costs involved, the installed technology has to be reliable.
Assuming all of these are met, can a driverless car be a driver?
Agni Sharman runs a cab service in Chennai and Madurai and is familiar with the world of drivers. “In India, a driver is not just a driver. He also doubles as a helper. He often carries luggage and takes care of children. Recently, I had a great report about a driver because he had taken good care of four seniors, as they travelled with him around Chennai and then went to Velankanni. Drivers have often proved to be smarter than GPS maps. They are up to date about traffic diversions. And also about events that can cause traffic jams,” says Sharman.
Driverless cars promote safety on the road, preventing collisions. But are these cars safe themselves, asks Sharman. “There is the possibility that the car’s cyber system could be hacked into. If that happens, things can go completely haywire. More so, than if a driver had been at the wheel.”