CleanTechnica op-ed says autonomous vehicles do not have to be mandatory
By ramontomeydw // 2021-04-28
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An April 2021 op-ed run by clean technology website CleanTechnica argues that autonomous vehicles do not have to be mandatory in U.S. roads. The piece's writer emphasized that the government mandating that only autonomous vehicles ply the streets of America is not exactly the best solution to promote road safety. The op-ed also states that current autonomous vehicle systems are not yet ready for widespread use. In an April 19 CleanTechnica op-ed piece, writer Jennifer Sensiba noted that many people want to ban "manually-driven" cars from the roads and replace them with fully automated vehicles. But she noted that scrapping manual vehicles for automated ones is not a one-size-fits-all solution. Sensiba shared the story of two drivers to emphasize her point. The first driver was obviously a very bad one, with extensive damage on her vehicle attesting to her less-than-exceptional ability. Disregarding the damage, this driver's vehicle was only around two or three years old. Meanwhile, the second driver only had one accident and one traffic ticket in her more than two decades behind the wheel. Her substantial driving experience has contributed to her spotless record. Sensiba then argued that autonomous vehicles would work in favor of the first driver. Her purchase of a self-driving car out of her own accord would be a convenient and prudent decision, given the potential safety risks she faces when going behind the wheel. Thus, the first driver would voluntarily purchase a self-driving vehicle without authorities telling her to do so. Meanwhile, the CleanTechnica writer opined that the second driver could opt for advanced driver-assist systems (ADAS) to help her on the road. Such technologies could work to prevent her from getting into an accident. Sensiba wrote that ADAS "[takes] the really good driving record of the second [driver] and makes [it] spotless." Furthermore, the second driver could rely on her car's autonomous driving mode when she is unable to drive safely. Thus, Sensiba argued that convenience and other benefits – not a government mandate – will drive people to patronize autonomous vehicles. "Instead of using brute government force and making everyone use fully autonomous vehicles, we can let poor drivers self-select using autonomous vehicles all the time, and let a mixture of ADAS and voluntary autonomy use correct decent drivers' records to perfection," she wrote.

Autonomous vehicles can potentially be used in criminal activities

According to Sensiba, many are advocating for the phase-out of human-operated vehicles on the streets due to the purported safety of autonomous vehicles. But she remarked that current autonomous vehicle technologies are not ready for widespread use. She noted: "Everything today is either a driver assist feature, or … autonomous systems in testing [which] require human supervision." (Related: Self-driving vehicles without human drivers now allowed in California.) She also touched on the issue of autonomous cars being used for crime. The writer remarked that criminals would "likely just hack their vehicles for manual control," so "continued enforcement of laws" against the trouble-makers should be practiced. Sensiba commented that criminals should not be used as the basis for drafting laws that will apply to the rest of the population responsibly using autonomous vehicles. True enough, a number of experts warned about the potential of self-driving vehicles to be used for nefarious endeavors. According to a January 2018 Miami Herald report, autonomous vehicles could be utilized to ferry contraband and injure many people. California Polytechnic University Ethics + Emerging Sciences Group Director Patrick Lin said self-driving vehicles "may enable new crimes that we can't even imagine today." He added: "Criminals might be able to make a better escape, if a road full of self-driving cars will always move out of the way when you threaten a collision." According to Lin, federal law enforcement has already expressed worry about "robo-getaway drivers" that enable suspects to shoot back at cops. The director also warned that hackers could exploit breaches in autonomous vehicle systems. Once hackers take control of driverless cars, they can then turn these into weapons or hold passengers inside hostage. Duke University professor and former U.S. Navy fighter pilot Dr. Mary Cummings agreed with Lin on the issue of hackers taking over self-driving vehicles. The director of the Humans and Autonomy Laboratory under Duke's Pratt School of Engineering said she views hackers as more dangerous compared to criminals or terrorists when it comes to autonomous cars. "Most people don't understand how easy it is to hack into a driverless car, and then basically steer it off course," Cummings remarked. Visit RoboCars.news to read more articles about autonomous vehicles. Sources include: CleanTechnica.com MiamiHerald.com
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