Self-Driving cars are among the newest innovations that automobile companies are planning to bring. Many companies like Tesla, BMW, and many others are aiming to launch their range of cars with such capabilities. However, there are many challenges such cars can face on the roads in our daily lives.
Some people do not even know how to use all the features of their phones yet. People have recently started relying on their phones for doing daily chores like buying groceries, paying for utilities, and clearing their internet provider’s bill, let’s say Cox bill pay. So, it takes time for people to understand and utilize technology.
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Lack of Suitable Infrastructure
Self-driving cars are something new. Roads, signals, and even navigation systems are not ready for self-driving cars. Across the US, you can find roads that lack lane markings and other such pointers. Other than the pointers, the quality of roads is also not consistent throughout. Such issues may confuse a self-driving car’s algorithm and can lead to problems for the passengers.
Another thing to consider is the signals on most roads. Common signal lights are green, yellow, and red. In many places, these signal lights are vertical whereas in others they are horizontal. Also, some traffic lights only have red and green signals. Lastly, you can even find lights that blink. These signals can confuse people who have been driving for many years. And the same can happen to self-driving cars as well.
In many areas, there are unmarked streets and roads. Completely self-driving cars rely on GPS. Even with human drivers, GPS is not 100% reliable in some places. So, this can be another problem self-driving car can face every day on the roads. Before deploying self-driving cars, the infrastructure needs a lot of work and development.
Unwillingness to Adapt by People
A major roadblock to self-driving cars becoming more mainstream is the unwillingness of some people to adapt. Many people do not think a robot can replace them from the driving seat. Are they right or wrong to show this unwillingness is another debate? Simply put, not everyone is excited to adapt to this technology.
A lot of people make a living from driving trucks, trailers, and Ubers. And fully adapting to self-driving cars can affect the jobs of these people. Their unwillingness to adopt this technology is understandable.
Within self-driving cars, there are different levels. Level 4 includes cars that are fully autonomous and can drive on their own. Level 4 and higher levels are the ones that are the type of cars drivers may be unwilling to adopt. In contrast, level 3 self-driving cars allow you to take your hands-off control for a while but you still have to stay ready to take the control back. So, these are the type of semi self-driving cars that Uber and truck drivers are expected to adopt in the future instead of fully automated ones.
Future Dependency and Cognitive Offloading
When we trust technology instead of making our judgments, it requires less effort to do a particular task. For example, many people do not put the effort to remember the directions by using GPS. This phenomenon is called cognitive offloading as we are essentially offloading the thinking process to a machine.
The problem with this phenomenon is that people become dependent on their machines and often forget how to do a task on their own. In other words, depending on self-driving cars for a long time can make people forget how to drive on their own. For example, today most Americans do not know how to drive a stick because of depending on automatic transmissions. So, self-driving cars can cause issues because when human intervention may be required, they may not know what to do.
Unforeseen Events on the Road
A responsible driver who has been driving for a while can take quick decisions while driving to avoid accidents. If a driver ahead of you on the road makes a mistake, you can take the necessary action to avoid an accident. Besides cars, animals can be crossing roads on highway or a toddler can run towards the road in a city. According to WHO, road traffic injuries are the leading cause of death among people aged between 5 to 29. Such situations test a human driver’s reflexes.
However, the algorithms of self-driving cars have not become smart enough yet. There have been reports of self-driving cars involved in accidents. The manufacturers and programmers of such cars have a lot to do before these cars can become suitable for everyone’s safety on the road.
Conclusion
A self-driving car is a revolutionary concept but there are many problems with them at the present. The roads are not ready, people are not ready, and the current self-driving cars are also not entirely ready.
