A car is careening toward you, but wait
there's no driver inside!
This driverless car has gone rogue.
With no driver to stop it,
you better think quickly.
Your life depends on it.
Car crashes are a common occurrence.
Over 1.35 million people worldwide
die in car accidents every year,
and crashes are the 8th leading
cause of death around the world.
Over 90% of all accidents
are due to human error,
and between 25 to 50% of all crashes
occur when the driver
becomes distracted.
This is why the proponents
of fully automatic cars
argue that there are numerous benefits
to having a computer
that makes the driving decisions for you.
Unfortunately, with the advent
of new technology,
there are always some hiccups.
And in this case, possible fatalities.
You do not want to be part of a statistic.
Remember, if you have
a computerized car
it will be as vulnerable to hacking
as any computer.
Specialists from McAfee Threat Research
in the United States
were able to hack an autopilot mode
in a self-driving Tesla
by tampering with speed limit signs.
The ingenious simplicity
of the experiment
involved changing the number
on the signs
from 56 km/h (35 mph)
to 137 km/h (85 mph)
with a piece of black tape.
The camera’s car read the tampered sign
and immediately accelerated
to this dangerous speed.
So, even if you don't have your hands
on the wheel,
keeping an eye on the signs
is a good idea.
It is difficult for cars to react
in unpredictable circumstances.
In situations involving bad weather,
roads riddled with potholes
or animals suddenly appearing
in front of your vehicle,
your instincts would immediately kick in
and you would adapt to changes.
You would start slowing down on icy roads
or immediately hit the breaks
to prevent colliding with the wildlife.
These circumstances
have a specific term:
edge cases.
For the car to predict the edge case
the same way you would,
its operating computer must contain
information about every single possibility
pertaining to road dangers.
As of now, artificial intelligence does not
have the same prowess to predict
and react
in a rapidly changing environment,
and until it does,
a person will need to be in full control
of the car at all times.
In April 2021,
two people were in a Tesla vehicle
that was in autopilot mode.
The car did not have any human control,
and no one was behind the wheel.
While the vehicle was traveling
at high speeds,
it failed to negotiate a curve
and went off the road.
It crashed into a tree
and burst into flames,
claiming the lives of both passengers.
The first thing to remember
is that a driverless car should be treated
the same way
as any conventional vehicle.
You should take
all of the same precautions
to help avoid an accident
in the first place,
such as not driving while intoxicated
or tired.
And the most basic of safety rules apply.
Always wear your seatbelt.
While we currently don’t have
any fully driverless cars available to buy,
there are several
that have automatic features.
These cars are given rankings
from Level 0 to Level 5.
At Level 0, the driver is responsible
for the entire driving process.
Level 1 adds an advanced
driver assistance system
that can help with braking and steering.
Level 2 means the vehicle
can control steering,
accelerating and braking
at the same time,
but the driver is in charge of monitoring
the environment.
Level 3 is conditional automation,
where the vehicle can drive independently
only under certain conditions.
The human driver must still be ready
to take control at any point in time.
A Level 4 vehicle will drive completely
on its own in most circumstances
and environmental conditions,
allowing the driver to relax
behind the wheel.
Most cars that have some self-driving
features today are Level 2 vehicles,
meaning that the driver still needs to keep
a close eye on everything.
with hands on the wheel
and a foot on the gas or brake pedal.
You may not need to worry about
a driverless car running you over yet,
but how could some loose items
become deadly projectiles
in a car accident?
We have the answer right here,
on the next How to Survive.