Introduction
Autonomous vehicles—or self-driving cars—are still in a relatively early stage of development. However, it has been estimated that by 2050, 30{a5ecc776959f091c949c169bc862f9277bcf9d85da7cccd96cab34960af80885} or more of all vehicles on the road will be autonomous. While we’ve made some strides toward developing these vehicles, there’s still a long way to go. For instance, we need to determine what degree of autonomy each car should have and how they should be rated based on their level of autonomy. We also need to figure out how these vehicles will interact with other driverless cars as well as humans behind the wheel in normal traffic conditions without causing accidents which could result in injury or death.
Level 0 – No autonomous driving
Level 0 is the lowest level of autonomy and refers to vehicles that are not capable of driving themselves. The driver must be fully in control of the vehicle at all times, meaning they have to pay attention 100{a5ecc776959f091c949c169bc862f9277bcf9d85da7cccd96cab34960af80885} of the time. This means no hands-free phone calls or texting while driving!
Vehicles with Level 0 autonomy will not have any autonomous features at all; it’s just you and your car on the road together
Level 1 – Driver Assistance
Level 1 – Driver Assistance
The driver must be ready to take control of the vehicle at any moment. The car can drive itself, but the driver must still pay attention and be ready to take over if needed. In this mode, vehicles are not yet able to operate without human input in all circumstances. For example, some cars may require a human operator behind the wheel in heavy traffic or inclement weather because they don’t have sufficient sensors or computing power yet to safely operate by themselves under those conditions (or perhaps ever).
Level 2 – Partial Automation
Level 2 – Partial Automation
The vehicle can do all of the driving, but only in certain conditions. The driver must always be ready to take over control and must be able to do so at any time. If a situation arises that requires immediate action and the human fails to respond appropriately, or if they fail to intervene at all, then an alert will sound and/or emergency braking will occur automatically.
This level is designed for use on interstates where traffic flows smoothly and there are few obstacles along your route (such as construction sites). It’s also useful for long stretches of highway with few exits or other areas where you may need more time than usual to react when needed – like when exiting off an interstate onto surface streets near where you live!
Level 3 – Conditional Automation
Level 3 vehicles are designed to perform all safety-critical driving functions and monitor roadway conditions. The human driver will be responsible for monitoring the environment and being prepared to take control of the vehicle at any time.
In a Level 3 vehicle, the driver is expected to be available for occasional control but with sufficiently comfortable transition time between each intervention that they can safely engage in other activities such as eating or drinking (if allowed by local regulations).
Level 4- High Automation
Level 4 is the highest level of autonomy, where a vehicle can operate without human intervention in almost all driving situations. The vehicle can drive without a driver in most conditions and self-drive with a human driver in the car. This includes highways, urban roads and rural roads.
Level 4 vehicles are still not able to drive themselves at night or during poor weather conditions, but they’re getting close!
The vehicles will have to be rated based on their degree of autonomy.
The vehicles will have to be rated based on their degree of autonomy. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has already begun the process of rating self-driving cars, but it’s not an exact science yet. The agency is working with researchers, manufacturers, and other stakeholders to develop a rating system that can accurately differentiate between levels of autonomy and determine how safely they operate in real-world conditions.
The NHTSA will test vehicles on the road as well as in controlled environments like labs and simulators at automakers’ facilities before determining a vehicle’s final score on its five-star scale for crashworthiness ratings–which includes frontal impact tests at 35 mph; side impact tests at 31 mph; rollover resistance testing; roof crush protection tests using 1/2 inch plywood; pole impact tests; rear crash protection evaluations using steel bars mounted onto the rear bumper fascia of each vehicle tested during its safety inspection process.”
Conclusion
Autonomous cars are the future of transportation, and we’re excited to see how they’ll change our lives. But there’s still work to do before these vehicles can hit the streets in large numbers–and that means figuring out how to rate them based on their degree of autonomy.
More Stories
The Safety Dilemma Of Autonomous Vehicles
Autonomous Vehicle Technology
Safe Autonomous Vehicles Are Going to Change Our Car-Centric World