Current self-driving car technology is a compromise that makes us ‘bad’ drivers, research shows
Tesla began rolling out the latest update to its Full Self-Driving software this week, but a new UK study finds that “guided” self-driving modes like Tesla’s could be negatively impacting our overall drive quality.
Elon Musk claims that Tesla’s new software, dubbed v12.4.3 by programmers, features completely “revamped models” that improve comfort levels through smoother acceleration and braking, and require less input from the driver.
Musk is so confident in his updated software, in fact, that he claimed it would take “more than a year of driving to intervene even once,” according to ElectrificationAlthough he also said that there are still a number of issues that need to be resolved before that happens.
Regardless, Tesla is pushing ahead with its highly automated driving modes, lowering the price in the US and offering free one-month trials to get as many owners using the system as possible.
However, some experts still believe that semi-autonomous vehicles remain unsafe. An example of this is a new study from the University of NottinghamEngland, where the behavior of 17 drivers (each with a front-seat passenger) was analyzed as they drove through a driving simulator designed to mimic an SAE Level 3 autonomous vehicle (also called “conditional” automation, where you don’t drive in certain situations).
Here, the driver was allowed to take both hands off the steering wheel and eyes off the road when the vehicle deemed it safe to enter an autonomous driving situation. Currently, this is mainly on clearly marked highways or expressways and when traffic tends to crawl at low speeds in traffic jams.
During the experiment, scientists found that most participants spent most of their time talking to their passenger, checking their smartphones or smartwatches, and even playing games. Some even went so far as to say that the experience was “boring.”
However, the researchers noted that driving performance was severely affected by these many distractions once the vehicle required human intervention.
“Vehicle control during the ten seconds immediately following resumption of manual driving was generally poor for all participants,” the study notes.
“There was a clear trend for control to deteriorate after two to three seconds and to remain erratic even after ten seconds,” the report continues.
This manifested itself in irregular acceleration and braking, severe lateral instability and even missing intersections and navigation directions because one was so engrossed in a game or side task.
No drivers needed?
Although the study, which was funded by the RAC Foundation, was originally designed to observe how drivers react in self-driving cars when accompanied by a passenger in the front seat, researchers found that the added distraction caused driving performance to be negatively affected when it was time to take back the wheel.
In addition, researchers noted that in many cases the front seat passenger took on the role of observer when they felt the driver was distracted. This led the scientists to conclude that automakers should “involve all potential users in the design of future vehicles.”
Reading between the lines, the study appears to confirm the concerns of some experts that the current “middle ground” in self-driving technology leaves much to be desired.
Numerous lawsuits surrounding the use of Tesla’s Autopilot and FSD systems are testament to this. By allowing drivers to focus on side tasks, they are distracted enough that they cannot react quickly enough to potentially life-threatening situations.
Tesla and a number of other companies are working hard on fully autonomous “robotaxis” that eliminate the need for driver intervention altogether. In fact, Rimac’s recent Verne concept (pictured above) doesn’t even have a steering wheel or other conventional controls.
Until we get to a point where this kind of technology is safe and properly regulated, it seems counterintuitive to continue with the distracting and potentially dangerous halfway house we have now. But try explaining that to Elon.