Are Self-Driving Cars Reliable?

In light of a fatal incident involving an Uber self-driving car, the question has arisen as to whether self-driving cars are reliable and when they can be safely used. Following the death of a 49-year-old woman in the U.S. due to a collision with an Uber self-driving vehicle, the company announced it would suspend the testing of all its self-driving cars in the U.S. and Canada. At the time of the accident, an Uber engineer was behind the wheel, but reports indicate the vehicle was in self-driving mode. Uber was testing one of its self-driving cars in Arizona when it collided with another vehicle, causing the Uber car, a Volvo, to flip and sustain significant damage. In this context, Uber has decided to halt its self-driving car testing program for now. However, has Uber become a victim of the imbalance between technological advancement and the necessary infrastructure for developing self-driving cars? Several technologies are essential for the development of self-driving cars, including 5G networks, high-speed processors, and artificial intelligence—areas that still have a long way to go before full development. The fifth generation of the internet (5G) will assist self-driving car technology and the goals of manufacturers of such vehicles. These cars require high-speed internet to communicate with their surroundings. Lower latency and higher capacity allow self-driving cars to interact more rapidly with their environment, and high-speed data transfer aids vehicle safety. The main cause of the Uber self-driving car accident is unclear, but this incident indicates that the technology still has a long way to go before maturity. Self-driving cars must be equipped with various sensors to detect all surrounding objects and vehicles, especially pedestrians, under the most challenging conditions. These vehicles must be able to make decisions in the shortest time possible and respond quickly in critical situations. A significant aspect of self-driving car technology has always been the safety of pedestrians and surrounding individuals and objects. Images released from the cameras installed in the Uber self-driving car clearly show that despite detecting the pedestrian, the vehicle failed to prevent the accident. This incident has led other companies to exercise greater caution in their self-driving car tests. Following the Uber self-driving car accident, Toyota also halted its self-driving car testing on public roads. According to Bloomberg, Toyota stated, 'This incident may have emotional effects on test drivers; we decided to temporarily stop testing the self-driving mode (with a human driver present) on public roads.' It seems there is still a long way to go before cars become fully autonomous. Currently, the Tesla Model X is equipped with a Level 3 self-driving system, which can be activated in certain highways and specific conditions. However, reaching Level 4, where cars can operate fully autonomously on intercity roads, requires the expansion of 5G internet, the development of processors, and advancements in artificial intelligence. This stage is expected to be accessible within the next ten years; however, the highest level of autonomy, Level 5, will see cars being completely self-driving.