Self-Driving Cars: Better Than You, But What's The Hold-up??

It is impressive to see how fast self-driving cars have evolved. They are said to be smarter and safer than human drivers. Good things are aplenty. 

But what actually prevents them to get on to our roads at this stage?

One idea that remains most bewitching in the automotive tech-world is cars that drive themselves. Not just today or in recent years, to be frank, this idea of self-driving cars is as old as the automobile itself!, rooting to the fantasies of some great minds. But then, it is the electronics and computer technologies that actually gave the very momentum to it and as every great idea requires some pathfinder to crack the nut, comes the Google. Not many seemed convinced until Google's team started modifying some Prius and Lexus hybrids and roam around. Now, years later, from Audi to Ford, every big car manufacturers are beginning to follow Google's lead to produce cars cool enough to drive themselves.

Actually, I didn't expect those Google's prototypes to be pretty advanced as they are now. They have been proven to drive much smoother and safer than average driver. Though real life situations involve startling challenges thrown towards drivers, especially every damn nuisances we find on our roads, and even adverse weather conditions like rain or snow, it would be right to say that technologies are rapidly improving. As we know, Google is not the only one and global companies are on the race to come up with something pretty good on self-driving cars. So, technologies are fast improving in myriad aspects and are certain to turn in realities.

Considering the fact that almost 90 percent of road mishaps are attributed to human errors, we can say self-driving cars and trucks are a moral imperative to our societies. Robotic cars do not sleep on wheels, nor they get drunk or distracted by cell phones! A report by the Eno Center for Transportation has estimated that just 10 percent of cars on roads if they are autonomous, would prevent 211,000 accidents every year. This means reducing the number of traffic deaths, which accounts for a huge share globally. Virginia Tech studies have shown that even cars that are not fully autonomous but which automate some of the most dangerous aspects of driving (such as Lane drift warnings, emergency driver assistance function as in 2017 Audi A6, etc.) could have as big an effect as seat belts have had.

And yes, traffic jams gone since automated cars can drive much more sensibly and smartly to avoid traffic than we do (no rage and race!). Leisure time increased - owners can do more productive things on their car trips, like read or even drink (who cares now?). Even they would care for our environment as well. Since such cars can drive frugally by make split second changes to improve their fuel efficiency and travel closer together to avert traffic snarls, they would save hours of driving time and fuel phenomenally. Thus reduced pollution and fuel imports, forex saving, economic virtue, so on and so forth. Volvo has recently showcased its autonomous driving prototype with eco-driving features that can align themselves on the road amid other cars while moving, so as to make use of frictional and air flow to reduce its fuel consumption. The electric car and alternative fuel technology is also leaping forward rapidly in recent times, and so we can be sure that autonomous car will turn either 'e' or hybrid once the stage is all set. Sounds magical isn't it? - but they make a point.

But then, you can't be too much excited and quick to cheer about, because getting all cars on road (if not all vehicles) automated isn't that easy. It's going to be damn knotty rather, as the bottlenecks - economics to ethics - are more than just complex to find some ways out. 

Firstly, self-driving cars, if they hit roads, would be awfully expensive for everyone of us, rich or poor! Some guess costlier than a custom-made Rolls Royce or a Ferrari! Many would be quick to say that prices would and have to come down. Yeah sure it'll, but how quick? is my question! Google says equipments on its prototypes costs between $75,000 and $85,000. Since the top selling cars in India do not cross $4,000, keeping in mind other costs, it's not going to cheap for few decades.

And mind, the self-driving technology is not yet actually ready and prototypes could hardly clear the US's DARPA tests. Google nowhere talks about retail as of now; Nissan says they would be ready by 2020 and Volvo, a little longer. Certainly, there is a long way to go and wait at least a half-a-decade. But what is impressive is how swift the technology has improved from a mere fantasy. That's why this article!

Secondly, comes the legality and regulation part. I know it's funny - when we could not even make a regulatory framework for hybrids and electric vehicles who are for quite some years, legality of self-driving cars is indeed a question ahead of time. And I don't want India to think about this now, we have lot more critical things to make laws on in the car industry. But even in US (the big daddy!), only 3 states have nodded for street-legality for such cars, as the technology is hardly a decade old and is still in the stages of development.

NEW SMART CAR: Google's new little self-driving car. No steering wheel, gas or brake!

Thirdly, there are serious concerns about privacy and imminent threats of hacking as well. These cars will collect hell lot of data about when and where people are going, how are these data to be handled? Cars will be networked to different entities and infos shared on real-time basis. In the absence of safeguards, they can be misused by individuals, governments and even by enforcement agencies for illegal surveillance. And whenever there is use of computers, they can be inevitably hacked. Hackers can disable safety systems to play with fleet of autonomous cars on busy roads to create havoc. Or to abduct some people. Of course, they are just potential as of now, but are serious too. 

And finally comes the larger and important part - the ethical questions behind self-driving cars. Who is going to take responsibility in the likely event that such cars go mad and get into accidents? For instance, lets consider a driver-less car on its way violates a traffic signal or speed limit. Who's gonna pay the ticket? (not bribe!) The owner? The car maker? Or the company that wrote software for the car? Further, what if the car runs amok on to the pavement and kills someone? Remembering en number of hit-and-run cases by our stars and lads of politicians, and poor conviction and blatant evasion of justice (to those poor who sleep on the pavements only then others like us can afford thrill driving in this economic setup) though culprits are proved, do not you think such moral questions can never be answered in our country??

Yes, the vision of a driver-less car in on its way to become a reality. The pace of its technological development is indeed phenomenal. But then, how far will it change the entire scene of car driving is a question worth pondering. If sure, how quick? Because, the trickling down of breakthrough technologies in automobiles to the masses remains, to a great extent, unreal. Many would be quick to argue - "hey do not you see MPFi, power-steering, other electronics on your every cars??" Those guys can find out how long back were they developed and come back to me! Or let me put it this way, Every tech is awesome; and every awesomeness (like other things) always comes at a price and masses could never afford in their lifetime. 

Next thing would be that automated cars would have to address serious of issues on their practicality and legality. So however optimistic you are, surely have to wait a decade or so. In India, we don't have to care about it right now, it's gonna take a fairly long time to see self-driving cars on our roads. Even more than what you would think!!

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