PLATOONING
Autonomous vehicle technology still far from accepted by the public Two new studies have shed light on public attitudes towards driverless cars, revealing that this technology still has a long way to go to achieve widespread acceptance. A recent study by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers found that 66% of people would be uncomfortable travelling in a driverless car at 70mph, and that age is a significant factor. While 45% of those aged 25-36 reported that they would be comfortable in a driverless car at this speed, this figure falls to just 8% of people over the age of 75. And women are more wary than men. An attitudinal survey by Direct Line Group found similar results. Reporting that safety continues to be the main concern, the group’s survey found that only 32% of respondents believe driverless technology will make roads safer, and 67% would prefer to be in direct control of the vehicle except in an emergency situation. Both surveys found that the majority of people believe that humans make better drivers than computers. In the IME survey, 50% of people said they think humans are safer drivers, while only 18% of respondents in the Direct Line survey believe that computers make better decisions. This lack of trust in the safety of driverless technology runs contrary to the evidence. As pointed out by the IME, 90% of UK road accidents are caused by driver error. These results highlight the need for public education and raising awareness of the safety benefits of driverless technology. Paul Oldham, head of transport at the IME, believes it is vital for Government and manufacturers to build trust in the technology by conducting more
A 3d image of a platooning situation. ©Shutterstock
demonstrations and user trials, including demonstrations on city roads that would allow the public to experience these vehicles first hand. Paul Geddes, the CEO of Direct Line Group, agrees. ‘Advances in driverless technology will cause seismic shifts for the motoring and insurance industry, and we need to understand what people’s attitudes, emotions and behaviours to this new technology will be. Our research illustrates the importance of communicating the benefits on road safety and supporting the public in the transition to driverless technology. We also understand the importance of educating the public on how to correctly use this technology so that the safety benefits can be realised.’ There are those who are more ready to embrace driverless cars, however. While early adopters of technology will be at the forefront of take up, both families and those who do not enjoy driving are more enthusiastic about the coming driverless revolution, according to Direct Line. Car enthusiasts and people who love driving are less excited. The IME survey also found that, despite its potential to improve accessibility, public attitudes are currently lagging in this area. Just 23% of respondents said that people who are sight-impaired should be allowed in sole charge of a driverless car. This dropped to 12% for people who are intoxicated. ‘The benefits of driverless technology are huge. Not only could it help save hundreds of lives, but there are estimates that the overall UK economic benefit could be as much as £51 billion a year due to fewer accidents, improved productivity and increased trade,’ says Paul Oldham. ‘However, there is still a long way to go in terms of public approval.’
Safety, for its knowledge and expertise on safety. The project client is the UK Department for Transport and Highways England. There are four distinct phases to the project, and each one will have to be successfully completed before moving on to the next. Phase one is to build the trucks that will take part in the trial. These will have all the systems currently installed on HGVs, such as front cameras, auto braking, and radars to help them stay in lane and
maintain a safe distance from the vehicle in front, plus additional integrated systems, including wifi technology, that will enable them to platoon. ‘Then the trucks go onto the test track and we can start to build up our experience and knowledge of how these vehicles work,’ says Richard. ‘We will start with a platoon of two and move up to three and observe how the trucks perform. Once we have this information, we will work with DHL to find routes that are suitable for platooning based on what we have discovered on the test track and our own knowledge of the motorway system, looking at statistics such as junctions, congestion, and incident rates.’ Alongside the test track trials, TRL will conduct extensive off-road trials based on the training required for drivers of platooning vehicles. ‘We will also carry out simulations to observe how other road users such as car drivers interact with platoons. The whole study is grounded in taking our time and there are lots of checks and balances in place to ensure we can proceed safely to the road trials.’ Building a comprehensive safety case is the other key element of phase one, as the project cannot proceed to the next phase unless safety concerns are satisfied. This will assessed by an independent safety panel, which will look at evidence gathered in the initial phase to determine whether the safety case is good enough to proceed to road trials. If it isn’t, the project goes no further. Richard is keen to stress the emphasis on safety because a project like this will always give rise to safety worries. Organisations such as the AA and the RAC, for example, have expressed concern that platooning vehicles will obstruct the visibility of other road users at critical points such as junctions. And there have also been concerns over automation. However, these are largely based on a misunderstanding of how the project and platooning itself will work. ‘Initial media coverage billed this as test-driving autonomous vehicles, but that’s not what this trial is about,’ says Richard. ‘Platooning trucks are very dynamic. All the work that has been done
18 LAPV December 2017
JOH11