Driving a car with ADAS? Is there training for that?
The AAA estimates that 92.7% of new cars in the USA have advanced driver assist systems (ADAS) features and it is likely that most advanced countries have roughly the same amount of ADAS-equipped vehicles on their roads. The promise of ADAS-equipped vehicles, according to the OEMs, is fewer accidents. For systems such as automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control and those incorporating various sensors, that promise has held largely true.
Increasingly, ADAS systems are promising that the on-board robot can handle the mundane task of driving a dangerous instrumentality weighing in at approximately two tons. Adding complexity to the driving task, however, may not promote safety. While the robot handles driving, the human gravitates to a screen with alluring images and connections. The human-machine interface in a modern vehicle demands that humans possess new skills such that the driver responsibly demonstrates an increased attention to the road AND the robot driving.
Current driving education and assessment concern the driver’s ability to control the vehicle responsibly. Is it sufficient to expect a consumer to read the manual so that the consumer can responsibly use the ADAS features on the vehicle? For a salesperson at a car dealership to point out the ADAS features? How do we ensure that consumers responsibly use ADAS features, especially those advertised as self-driving?
What if at the time of purchase an auto dealer had capable personnel to train consumers how to use responsibly ADAS features, such as self-driving? Also, what if the consequence of that training was the unlocking of the self-driving feature for that driver only? If the consumer fails the training or refuses to take the training, then the self-driving feature is unusable on that vehicle. Does that sound too aggressive to ensure safety? What if the means to associate a specific user with self-driving features of a vehicle could be facilitated through a passcode, two-factor authentication, or a Bluetooth connection from the consumer’s smartphone? What if the consumer’s driver’s license had a self-driving endorsement on it? In such a case, a chip on the driver’s license or code could permit that driver to access self-driving mode on any vehicle, such as in a car-sharing scenario or in purchasing a vehicle from a private seller.
Of course, humans can manage any number of workarounds to such a system; however, what would it take for regulators and OEMs to demonstrate earnestness about ensuring that self-driving is safer than humans driving? I’m interested in advancing the future where travel is safe AND responsible. The cost of doing so may be in adding a job at a dealership, extra fees for a self-driving certification on one’s driver’s license, or in developing regulations to address the challenges of driving while minding the robot. Not paying that cost is as easy as gravitating to that screen in your hands and may result in a future where the promise of safer travel will remain unrealized. Paying the price today can birth safe and responsible self-driving transport.
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