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Some observers tout autonomous (self-driving) vehicles by claiming that a computer is "simply a better driver than a human," as a recent Time magazine article put it. This is not true now and may never be true. Safe driving, the kind carried out on a daily basis by millions of people, is a highly skilled practice honed over time through years of practical experience. Perhaps nothing better illustrates this fact than the recent tragedy in Tempe, Arizona, where a pedestrian crossing a street outside of a marked crosswalk was struck and killed by an Uber vehicle operating in autonomous driving mode. An alert human driver would have had no problem in identifying the potential danger.
Autonomous vehicles are being developed to address unsafe practices-that is, driving under the influence of a host of impairments. The human toll from unsafe driving is enormous, resulting in roughly 37,000 deaths every year in the United States, so the massive high-tech effort to produce self-driving cars is justified. But it must be done in recognition of and compatible with safe driving practices and the people who value the freedom- and accept the responsibility-that driving entails.
Driving is a complex social process whereby individuals come to understand the driving environment through repetition and through experience with other drivers and conditions. As such, even when a number of unforeseen contingencies arise, drivers who are fully engaged are able to adjust and navigate the road safely. But not everyone is equally skilled at driving and avoiding crashes. The figure below illustrates differences based on age and gender. Young males and the older generation are most vulnerable to fatal automobile crashes. All age groups and genders, however, are susceptible to a collection of impairments that can make driving less safe. In addition to testosterone-fueled teenage boys and cognitively impaired seniors, there are inebriated revelers, fatigued drivers, distracted teens and millennials texting, and individuals with mood swings, including rage. Better technology to counter the effects of unsafe driving is most welcome.
Efforts to improve the safety of the vehicle, of course, have been longstanding and continuous. Seatbelts, airbags, and vehicle design have all advanced safety over the decades, even if the automakers themselves haven't always been at the forefront of the advances, as illustrated...