Self-driving cars could salvage more than than 21,700 lives, $450B a year

Autonomous vehicles could reduce the number of auto accidents each twelvemonth past 4.2 meg

Senior Reporter, Computerworld |

Autonomous Lexus test vehicle
Martyn Williams

Considering 90% of all driving accidents are caused by operator error, automating vehicles through onboard computers would reduce injuries, deaths and related costs by staggering amounts, according to a study released today past the non-profit Eno Center for Transportation.

Alcohol, drugs, inexperience, speeding, moisture and icy roads can all contribute to an accident. If computers controlled vehicles, they could sense and anticipate route conditions and objects around them, helping to avoid accidents, the report showed. In fact, if just 10% of all vehicles in the U.South. were cocky-driving, the number accidents each twelvemonth would be cut by 211,000; ane,100 lives would be saved; and economical costs would be cut past $22.7B, the written report said.

If 90% of vehicles in the U.S. were self-driving, as many equally 4.2 million accidents could be avoided, saving 21,700 lives and $450 billion in related costs.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safe Administration, 40% of fatal crashes are the result of alcohol or drug use, driver distraction and/or fatigue. Since computers don't potable or do drugs and they don't become distracted or tired, their utilise in vehicles would dramatically reduce fatalities, the study ended.

Through vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication, autonomous cars and trucks could reduce freeway and artery congestion past more than than 75%, the study said. For i, traffic congestion would also be dramatically reduced through fewer accidents. The Federal Highway Administration estimates that up to 25% of traffic jams are acquired by accidents.

Additionally, autonomous vehicles are expected to be able to detect other vehicles around them - fifty-fifty communicating with other cars and trucks about their routes. Therefore, self-driving vehicles could anticipate a lead vehicle's braking and acceleration decisions, allowing for smoother travel and leading to the avoidance of the traffic pileups that occur today.

Congestion reduction
By communicating with each other, cocky-driving vehicles could conceptualize breaking and acceleration, reducing congestion on highways caused by g "shockwave propagation," or the domino effect.

Anticipating breaking and acceleration in other vehicles would also lead to fuel savings and less brake wear.

Car manufacturers and applied science companies, such as Google, have announced plans to launch self-driving vehicle lines by 2020.

As of August, California and Nevada have enacted legislation to let self-driving motorcar licensing. Florida and Washington D.C. accept begun autonomous vehicle testing, and similar legislation is awaiting in Hawaii, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Bailiwick of jersey, New York, South Carolina, Washington, and Wisconsin, according to the Eno Center report.

"Of grade, many such benefits may not be realized until high [numbers of self-driving vehicles] are present. For example, if 10% of all vehicles on a given expressway segment are [democratic], there will probable be an [autonomous vehicle] in every lane at regular spacing during congested times, which could smooth traffic for all travelers," the study's authors wrote.

Conversely, if just one out of 200 vehicles is autonomous, the affect would be "non-existent or greatly lessened."

At that place are still many issues to resolve with autonomous vehicles: How much of the functionality would be automatic? Could automakers prevent hackers from getting into onboard computers? Will drivers accept computer-controlled vehicles? And who would exist liable in the event of an accident in a cocky-driving car? All are potential stumbling blocks.

Self-driving vehicles "will exist driving on our streets and highways within the adjacent decade, but it is uncertain when they volition contain a substantial share of the U.S. armada," the study said. "As long as...crucial questions go unanswered, the nation will be hampered in its ability to successfully program for and introduce [autonomous vehicles] into the transportation organization."

Lucas Mearian covers storage, disaster recovery and business concern continuity, fiscal services infrastructure and health intendance IT for Computerworld. Follow Lucas on Twitter at  @lucasmearian or subscribe to Lucas's RSS feed . His e-mail service address is lmearian@computerworld.com.

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Senior Reporter Lucas Mearian covers Windows, Future of Work bug, mobile, Apple in the enterprise, and healthcare IT.

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