Autonomous Vehicles

Jodi and Chris attended the Consumer Technology Association’s CES Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada this month and were blown away by the advancement in the autonomous vehicle industry. Nissan has announced it will roll out its first fleet of autonomous vehicles by 2022, Hyundai in 2022, but General Motors claims it will roll out a fleet of autonomous vehicles just next year, in 2019.

In fact, we may see the first autonomous, or self-driving, vehicles on streets in 2018, as companies are aiming to release robot delivery vehicles this year.

These advancements in the technology and automotive industries are exciting, but a lot of us may have questions on how our lives on Utah roads could change. To answer many of these questions, Utah legislator Representative Robert M. Spendlove is sponsoring a bill named Autonomous Vehicle Amendments. This bill seeks to define terms, licensing and protocol for autonomous vehicles and pave the road for their introduction on Utah roads.

Autonomous vehicles operate with a highly sophisticated system of components, including laser-based radar and sensors that read the environment around the vehicle, cameras to recognize lanes and other vehicles, and mathematical algorithms that allow the vehicle to know where it is within 1-2 centimeters.

But without a person operating a vehicle, is it safe? Some advocates of autonomous vehicles claim they are safer than traditional vehicles because it rules out human error. In fact, many executives assure the hesitant public that the technology behind these vehicles are capable of seeing and reacting more efficiently than human drivers.

According to the Utah Department of Public Safety, at least seventy-four percent of deaths were attributed to human error. From 2012-2016, forty percent of Utah deaths were caused by speeding, thirteen percent were caused by drunk drivers, twelve percent were mistakes in failing to yield, and nine percent were caused by distracted drivers. Does this mean seventy-four percent of deaths could be solved by implementing fleets of autonomous vehicles onto our roads? And what about the remaining percentage of Utah deaths that occurred due to unrestrained occupants? Could autonomous vehicles solve that problem by failing to operate with unrestrained occupants? Or could occupants become even further removed from the responsibilities associated with safety on the road using autonomous vehicles?

Will this industry leave many thousands of Americans unemployed, such as delivery or taxi drivers? Will it replace the car rental industry? Since these vehicles have no need for traffic lights, will they eventually be removed? What impact will this have on insurance?

There are many fascinating arguments surrounding the concept of the imminently arriving autonomous vehicle and many more that are sure to arrive as AVs become more popular. But we are looking forward to the relaxed mornings of commuting to the Capitol in our autonomous vehicles, watching the mountains, reading the paper, or maybe even taking a nap.