Can Road Accidents be Eliminated?
In recent years, car developments have largely upped the game when it comes to safety aids. From AEB being a standard inclusion nowadays, to other items like rear-cross traffic alerts, lane assist, and the like now being regular sights.
Manufacturers have focused on safety in an effort to appeal to more buyers, but also address the issue of fatalities on our roads. And for the large part, historically, auto makers have played a notable role in reducing the road toll. Further innovations and developments are now being spoken of to maintain this momentum, and possibly, eliminate accidents on our roads all together. But is this really possible?
Future ideas
There are no shortage of measures being designed as a direct response to car accidents. To name a few:
- Forward collision systems that detect an impending crash;
- Adaptive headlights which provide visibility around corners;
- Magnetic roads that ‘guide’ vehicles;
- Communicative vehicles that ‘speak’ with one another;
- And the most prominent innovation, fully autonomous vehicles
While each of these innovative measures could help reduce road casualties even further, there’s still a very obvious facet missing from the discussion here. That is, we seem to be doing everything to modify technology, but we’re not actually addressing driver behaviour. In fact, we’re looking to bypass the driver to achieve desired results. Is this really sustainable? Some of the early indications from autonomous vehicles are that they are far from perfect.
Equity and equality on the road?
Although making technological changes is all well and good, they introduce a disparity between road users. Those who are driving the latest cars equipped with such technology, and those who are holding onto older vehicles.
Even though many innovations eventually become mainstream across all levels of new vehicles, the time for this roll out is often such that new technology features come along. That is, by the time one feature becomes standard across all vehicles, the next ‘must have’ technology is being fitted into top of the line vehicles. Then the cycle continues.
We’re also not at a level where we can begin to depend on technology at all costs. That is, drivers should not be taught to become ‘dummies’ in their cars, oblivious to their surroundings. The fact is, things can, and sometimes do go wrong when technology is involved, and this is unlikely to be any different when installed in a car where external factors can cause a hazard.
This is where an emphasis needs to return to the person behind the wheel, who ultimately, can still cause an accident on our roads by way of being distracted, poor driving habits, a mistake, or through reckless actions. Today’s licencing requirements are indeed far too lenient. Sure, the burden has increased for new drivers who are on their P plates, but the focus is still misdirected.
Improving new driver skills
It is important that new drivers are tested on their ability to drive cautiously and defensively on our roads. This is not a matter for dispute. However, reactive mechanisms have largely been overlooked. That is, if one finds themselves losing control of a vehicle, or in danger of causing an accident, drivers need to be equipped with the necessary motoring skills to avoid, or at least mitigate, the impact of a crash.
Therefore, as we proceed down the rabbit hole where we increasingly rely on technology doing all the driving for us, we need to be considerate about the impact this will have on driver behaviour. Technological developments will save countless lives, but until we also address the skills and mindset of the person behind the wheel, we’re still some time away from getting anywhere near zero road fatalities.
Level 2, 9 Help Street