In a striking new video that has gone viral, a driver is seen playing a video game on his phone while sitting behind the wheel of a self-driving car. The footage catches a scene that was far from many people – a person essentially disintegrates with driving work as their vehicle autonomy navigates traffic.
This unstable moment continues a debate about the safety of autonomous vehicles and an important role should continue to play human drivers, even as self-driving technology advances.
Confusion of complete autonomy
Despite the promise of a fully autonomous cars that can safely run themselves without human intervention, the reality is that many current systems still need to be alert to drivers and take control of a moment notice. This “level 2” or “level 3” autonomous system depends on the combination of automatic driving and human supervision. The role of the driver is to monitor the system and intervene if necessary.
The video showing the driver absorbed in a game instead of the road reflects the danger of over-excessiveness on the autonomous technique, before it is really ready to operate the hands-free and eye-free in all circumstances.
Safety concern and liability questions
Security advocates are concerned that such behavior can cause serious accidents if the vehicle faces a situation that cannot handle on its own. Technology, while improving rapidly, still faces challenges such as unexpected weather, complex urban environment and sudden threats.
Additionally, thorny legal questions raise about footage liability. If an accident occurs when a driver is distracted by a game, who is responsible? Car manufacturer, software developer, or inattentive driver?
