There is a political and economic value to the sentiment of the everyday transportation user. Does the transportation that I have available to me meet my needs? Does it get me where I need to go when I need to get there? Am I able to sustain or even make my life better by either the personal or public transportation options that are at my disposal?
We have been told that autonomous vehicles will improve the transportation options that are available no matter where you are located – urban or rural or suburban environments. But the automobile has become more technical over the years. Surveys to date show that the public has not yet bought into the notion that it is better for them or in many case the public does not even have a clear understanding of what the current technology in their passenger vehicles can do, or how to use it.
Do you remember the days when you used to be able to open the hood of your car and see the engine? Today many motor vehicle engines are encased in a shroud. Back in the day most of our cars had carburetors and those have now been replaced by fuel injectors. Our automobiles are now giant computers. The first thing a mechanic does when you bring your car in with an issue is plug it into a computer to get a diagnostic print out. Same thing when you get an emissions check. It seems that for most of us the extent of what we can do on our own is to top off our windshield wiper fluid and change our oil, but that’s about it aside from filling up our gas tanks.
Surveys have recently shown that when it comes to highly assisted technology in our vehicles most people are either unsure of what the new technology does or in many cases they are turning it off as it has been deemed “annoying”. Erie Insurance’s national survey on technology and vehicles found 17% of people turned off automated emergency braking, 30% for adaptive cruise control, 11% for pedestrian detection, 23% for lane keeping assist, and 21% for lane departure warning.
If the public is not aware of or chooses to avoid the highly assistive technology that is on the vehicle that they already own, then what do they know about the plans for fully autonomous vehicles to be in widespread use across the country? What exactly does the public know or been told about autonomous vehicle technology? And who is responsible to notify the average citizen that this type of high-tech testing for future transformational technology is going on in their neighborhoods and communities today?
Do you have the right to know that on the streets of Washington DC, Houston, Pittsburgh, Tucson and Detroit, as well as many other streets across the United States autonomous vehicle mapping and testing is currently taking place?
If a potential subdivision or a factory is to be built in your local community what typically happens is notice is provided to the residents in the impacted community. A letter shows up at your door and you are informed of the potential for upcoming business or construction and how it will impact you on a daily basis.
Notice to consumers and buy-in is critical as studies show that the public is not aware or is not comfortable with the idea of autonomous vehicles either in personal transportation or public transportation and freight. No one is suggesting that the mapping/piloting/autonomy stop but perhaps we industry insiders and government leaders should consider the repercussions of not taking the public on the “ride” with us as we explore this new frontier in transportation.
PAVE (Partners For Automated Vehicle Education) did a survey on public sentiment surrounding Autonomous Vehicles earlier this year and found that while Americans are wary of the current ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) on their vehicles they are most optimistic about future autonomous vehicles technology. According to the survey 48% of Americans say they “would never get in a taxi or ride-share vehicle that was being driven autonomously, ” 58% think safe AVs will be available in ten years, and 20% believe they will never be safe while only 34% of Americans think “the advantages of AVs outweigh any potential disadvantages.” And just 18% of Americans agree with the statement “if there was a website to get on a waiting list for the first AV, I’d put my name down.”
With widespread confusion and distrust, what could potentially happen is that once the technology is perfected and ready to be deployed, the public has a backlash at the notion of this technology and may reach out to their local, state or even federal official asking for the technology to be put on hold until they are up to speed with what it means for them.
What that could do is stymie this new and emerging field that engineers and technologists have been working diligently to perfect for more than a decade. Autonomous vehicle manufacturers could then find themselves in a holding pattern because the very people who this technology is supposed to help are the ones who are pushing back against the technology.
This is a call for public service announcements (PSAs) whether by the original equipment manufacturers or the communities within which the technology is being designed and or piloted – but the PSAs need to start now. The very problem that autonomous vehicles hope to solve in meeting the needs of the community cannot be realized unless we engage the community. We have time to correct that and begin to educate the public on the benefits of autonomous vehicles.
It is important to address the very real shortage in professional drivers for mass transit buses and freight movement, as well as the need for rural and urban communities to have effective transportation for jobs, healthcare and food resources. Imperatively, we must address the almost 40,000 people who die each year on American roadways because of distracted and other behavioral driving issues. Autonomous vehicles will help solve this problem.
The best thing that we can do is to alert people that help is on the way.
