Autonomous Vehicle Crash — One Casualty Too Many

As most of you know, I am a huge fan of the Autonomous Vehicle. However, I am not at all surprised that there was a fatality in the Uber Autonomous Car crash yesterday in Arizona. Why am I not surprised? The answer is simple; most manufacturers are more concerned about getting their vehicles on the road first rather than spending extensive time testing and driving the vehicles millions of miles. The reality is these vehicles need to be driven millions of miles in all kinds of terrain and in various weather conditions to encounter what a human operator would come across on the road. The technology has to be such that it can sense and assess an object, obstruction, or severe weather conditions in an effort to react accordingly. Even though Velodyne’s, Oxbotica’s and Luminar’s LiDar technology has made significant advancement within recent years, it still is not enough to send these vehicles out on their own.

We are still very much in the trial phase.

What can be done to make sure there are no more casualties?

Google’s Waymo autonomous vehicle is one of the most advanced cars on the market. The company has spent time, and unlimited resources perfecting their vehicle. The car has driven close to billions of miles in testing. Autonomous car manufacturers need to follow suit and take the time to perfect the vehicles before getting them on the road!

Federal policy makers need to tighten regulations. There hasn’t been enough time for safety standards to be created and installed by the National Transportation and Safety Board. In light of this fatal accident, states need to put the brakes on freely passing laws which allow these vehicles to operate without drivers.