Are you scared of robo-taxis? The promise of autonomous driving.

Did you know that in a recent survey in the US, a whopping 66% of respondents indicated that they are scared of autonomous vehicles?

(Study by AAA based on 1,220 interviews among U.S. adults, 18 years of age or older)

This result shows that there is a lot of uncertainty about self-driving technology for our vehicles. In this article, we will explore both the possible benefits and risks that are associated with this new wave of innovation in personal mobility. 

The paradox of perception

Already today, robo-taxis are driving around in cities all around the world, with companies like Waymo (US, part of Alphabet / Google), Cruise (US, part of General Motors), Zoox (US, part of Amazon), Pony.ai and Didi (both based in China) leading the way. Their vehicles pick you up and drive you to your destination, without the need of a human driver behind the steering wheel. And almost all of their trips are completed without any incidents. 

However, when an accident happens with a robo-taxi, this gets a lot of attention in the media. It is in our nature that we like to read about situations where things go wrong. This creates a paradox where nobody is talking about 99.99% of the situations that go well, and the 0.01% where it goes wrong gets all the attention. 

Let’s dive deeper into the topic and try to discover the objective reality of self-driving vehicles. 

What is a robo-taxi?

Autonomous vehicles aren't just regular cars without drivers. They are intelligent machines that are designed to operate on public roads. To do this, they use a wide range of sensors, learn from a massive amount of training data and think by using artificial intelligence. 

The eyes of an autonomous vehicle are a set of sophisticated sensor systems, including cameras, LiDAR, radar, and ultrasonic sensors. These components work together to provide the vehicle with a 360-degree view of the vehicle’s surroundings, enabling it to navigate complex environments with precision and safety. 

The brains of an autonomous vehicle are built up by using AI and machine learning, analysing and learning from the information their sensors provide. In addition, the self-driving system is trained on a massive amount of training data from other vehicles, extracting patterns and insights to improve their understanding of road behavior. 

Finally, the autonomous vehicle is instructed with the rules from our road code and regulations. This ensures that autonomous vehicles can operate on public roads safely.

Man or machine, who drives best? 

Now that we understand what robo-taxis are and how they work, let’s look at the reasons why they are more or less safe than human drivers. 

• Reduced human error: most accidents on our roads are a result of human mistakes, when drivers get tired or distracted from their task controlling the vehicle. Autonomous vehicles cannot be distracted and the amount of errors they make will therefore be extremely low to zero.
• Speed of processing: when something happens on the road, a human driver needs to process the event, make a decision and act upon it. Even when we do this reflexively, humans are still much slower than machines. Autonomous vehicles will be able to detect danger earlier, make better decisions and execute them faster.
• Enhanced communication: another benefit that autonomous vehicles have , is that they are always connected to each other and to other traffic control systems. This gives them instant access to possible defects in other vehicles, damage to roads, weather conditions or other events. With this information, autonomous vehicles can make better decisions and ensure that our traffic flows more efficiently.

Taking the above reasons into account, we expect a well functioning autonomous vehicle to be much safer than a human driven one. And even more, a network of connected self-driving vehicles that communicate with each other, to result in accident free traffic. But what if the systems and processes supporting autonomous vehicles are not functioning well?

Challenges ahead

Even if it’s very small, the potential risk of incidents, accidents and loss of human life as a result of autonomous driving technology, makes that this technology remains a topic of heated discussion. 

The controversy extends beyond just technical topics into ethical decision making in situations where our safety is impacted. Autonomous driving systems will be faced with decisions between the safety of the passengers in the vehicle and a risk to external bystanders. It will take time for our society to get used to this level of impact from judgement by machines.

Furthermore, the integration of autonomous vehicles into the current transportation infrastructure introduces another layer of complexity. Existing roads and traffic regulations are designed around human drivers. Adapting this environment to accommodate autonomous vehicles necessitates changes, including regulatory adjustments and infrastructure upgrades. 

This transition phase is crucial for achieving a coexistence between human-driven and autonomous vehicles. There’s a need for a robust legal framework that addresses liability issues, privacy concerns, and cybersecurity threats. 

The future of mobility

So,  do we have to be scared of robo-taxis?

There probably is no easy and simple answer. Yes, there are safety concerns surrounding autonomous vehicles, but as we discovered in this article, the potential benefits for reducing human error, improving reaction times, and optimising traffic flow are significant.  

As autonomous driving technology matures and gets integrated into our existing mobility infrastructure, with quality engineering, careful planning and solid legal and ethical frameworks we can transition towards a safer and more efficient transportation system.

One of the greatest builders of our time, Elon Musk, promised in a recent message on X to unveil the new Tesla robo-taxi on August 8th. I for sure can’t wait to see it. Stay tuned for more updates in this space.