Autonomous Vehicles: Road Accidents Reduction
Self-driving cars, also known as autonomous vehicles, are cars or trucks, which do not require its occupants to take control of the car for it to operate safely. These cars can drive, navigate, and control themselves with the aid of software and sensors. There currently are no fully autonomous cars legally operating in America. However, there are some with partial automation of varying degrees, such as those with brake and lane assistance. Partial autonomous cars may need a human driver’s intervention when the software runs into uncertainties, whereas a fully autonomous vehicle may not require any intervention (Lugano, 2017). The average number of car accidents in the United States is ten million, with more than ninety people dying every single day in these accidents (Administration, 2020). Moreover, about three million people get injured annually due to car accidents. Autonomous vehicles aim to significantly reduce the number of deaths and injuries occurring due to manually operated cars. This is based on its software being less prone to human-like errors.
Distracted drivers led to the death of 2,841 people in 2018, among them drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians (Administration, 2020). With the pervasiveness of technology, many drivers find themselves surrounded by various technological things that can distract them, mainly phones and stereos. Many drivers have been involved in accidents as they were texting while driving, talking on the phone, or changing a radio station. When a driver uses their mobile phones, their driving concentration reduces by thirty-seven percent. Thus, a few seconds of distraction from the road can lead to significant fatalities. Drivers can also be distracted by eating, applying make-up, reading a book, or overreaching for an object in the car. Since programmed software controls the autonomous vehicle, there will be no instances where distraction occurs; hence, car accidents caused by driver distractions will be reduced.
Over speeding is one of the most common causes of car accidents in America, causing about a third of all automobile accidents. Speeding drivers led to the death of about nine thousand people in 2018 (Administration, 2020). People tend to be late as they juggle their personal and work lives. Therefore, more often than not, they find themselves rushing to get to where they are supposed to be and may end up over speeding, unconsciously, or consciously. On the other hand, others over speed for the thrill of it. Speed limits are set up in different areas to protect drivers, but many ignore them. Autonomous cars will be programmed to keep up with the speed limits of different areas hence reducing accidents caused by over speeding drivers.
About thirty people drive under the influence of alcohol every day, leading to an average of ten thousand deaths per year. Alcohol impairs the brain functioning, muscle coordination, and reasoning capabilities of a driver; therefore, when individuals drive while drunk, they are putting themselves and other people in danger. However, despite the high numbers and the warnings given, people continue to drive while intoxicated, with a third of all car crash fatalities being caused by drunk drivers. Autonomous cars will prevent these accidents, as the aim of its control is to be always accurate and safe.
Reckless driving is also a human error that leads to many accidents. Although sober, some drivers often disregard traffic rules such as abruptly changing lanes without signaling, overlapping, and not adhering to the traffic lights. These reckless behaviors often pose a danger to other drivers or crossing pedestrians causing death or injury. An autonomous vehicle will always comply with the traffic rules hence significantly reduce accidents caused by reckless drivers.
Human errors and behaviors such as distractions, over speeding, driving while intoxicated, and reckless driving cause many accidents every year. Without the influence of these human errors, autonomous cars will be the much-needed solution to a decrease in the number of vehicle accidents not only in America but also all over the world. It will improve the safety of every road user, whether cyclists, drivers, or pedestrians.
References
Administration, N. (2020). Risky Driving. Retrieved 15 April 2020, from https://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving
Lugano, G. (2017, May). Virtual assistants and self-driving cars. In 2017 15th International Conference on ITS Telecommunications (ITST) (pp. 1-5). IEEE.