Robot cars – curse or blessing?

Robot cars – curse or blessing?

“A third of all accidents today occur due to distraction – but do we really want a robot car that turns us into transparent drivers?” Claudius Ratschew, President of the Austrian Medical Mobility Club (AMKO), sums up the dilemma of autonomous vehicles. He fears that distraction behind the wheel will continue to increase due to the increasing number of infotainment features in modern vehicles. The development of cars that take over driving while we work and consume on the go is a logical step. Michael Nikowitz, Coordinator of Automated Mobility at the Federal Ministry for Climate Protection and Technology, dispels false expectations in his lecture. “There has been too much reliance on technology to mimic or even optimize human behavior – now it turns out that people are actually better drivers than originally thought.” Although 90 percent of all accidents are due to human error, a flesh-and-blood driver is still far superior to any machine when it comes to navigating a vehicle in a mixed traffic of old and new cars, bicycles and pedestrians. According to Nikowitz, it will be several decades before robot cars have human-like capabilities.

In his presentation, Manfred Harrer from Asfinag showed which measures should be used to enable automated driving on motorways. A central role is played by the infrastructure, which is supposed to direct the vehicles with a seamless network of sensors and radio equipment. Obstructions on the road should be signaled to the vehicle in a timely manner so that it can brake or evade independently in the future. In his lecture, ophthalmologist Stefan Palkovits discussed the limitations of human vision due to disturbing environmental conditions and age-related eye diseases. In addition, the field of vision is becoming ever smaller due to the ever wider A, B and C pillars of modern vehicles. The result: 60 percent of all intersection and turning accidents are due to a restricted field of vision.  

From July 6, 2022, new vehicles in the EU must be equipped with electronic assistants that are intended to protect both the driver and all other road users from accidents. The functions in detail:

• Hochentwickelter Notbremsassistent, der Hindernisse, bewegte Fahrzeuge sowie Fußgänger und Radfahrer erkennen kann
• Intelligenter Geschwindigkeitsassistent
• Alkoholempfindliche Wegfahrsperre
• Warnsystem bei Müdigkeit
• Warnsystem bei nachlassender Konzentration
• Notbremslicht
• Rückfahrassistent
• Ereignisbezogene Datenaufzeichnung