Renee Watson says with 1,700 people killed in accidents every year, we should give these a chance

On New Years Eve I heard the tragic news that a young member of my rugby club was killed in a road accident. He was 19, full of potential and spirit. More than 1700 people are killed on Britain’s roads each year and the vast majority of these are due to human error. In a controversial move, the government has approved the testing, in 2015, of driverless cars to eliminate the potential for human error all together.

Many people are sceptical and indeed fearful of driverless cars so in honour of those who have lost their lives on our roads I felt it only right to uncover the science and technology driving this radical transport.

I need to be up front – I LIKE being in control and the idea of a computer driving my car for me…well I am going to need some convincing! Let’s start with how they work.

A driverless car uses four types of sensors to replace the senses of a human driver:

1: Radar, that tried and trusty method of monitoring where things are in space by bouncing radio waves off metal objects. Even those of us with lightning reaction times would seem like a sloth in a reaction competition with the radar system on a driverless car. Not only because it is quick and doesn’t get distracted but it can be equally aware of what is happening at every angle of the car at all times.

2: Lidar works by shooting laser light about the place, seeing what it hits and using information from the rebounding light to paint a picture of the environment.

3: Ultrasound in the wheels will help sense curbs and assist with parking 4: video cameras will detect traffic signals such as traffic lights.

The combination of these technologies makes for a very comprehensive machine designed to perceive and react to the environment quicker, more efficiently and accurately than you or I could ever dream. Skill sceptical? Wait until you see one in action, whether it be the Mercedes futuristic F 015 Luxury in Motion or the funky google Chauffeur it is easy to see why these cars are causing so much excitement.

There is a boot-load of other benefits too. They are programmed to drive at optimum efficiency saving you money on fuel and maintenance, and helping you do your bit for the environment. Then there is your time, comfort and stress to consider. Imagine being able to swap your daily commute for some downtime! You could snuggle down and have a nap any time you want, crack on and do some work, meditate or read!

So when and where are you likely to actually see one of these robotic roadsters? Four UK cities have been identified to trial driverless cars. Milton Keynes, Bristol, Grenwhich and Coventry. Each city will be testing and analysing different aspects of the project including the social response as well as the science.

If you are visiting Milton Keynes or Coventry you may spot a Lutz self-driving pod. These cute little bubbles are part of the UK Autodrive Programme that involves collaborators such as Ford and Jaguar Land Rover. The pods will be assessed for use in pedestrianised areas which would certainly make the commute between John Lewis and Debenhams much quicker! This programme will also be figuring out what technology and infrastructure would need to be added to existing roads to enable self-driving cars to navigate their way around.

The Venturer consortium will focus on testing driverless cars Bristol. The consortium will investigate the impact of a range of cars on congestion, safety, insurance implications and how people react.

The final location is Greenwich, which will run the Gateway scheme. Bringing together the AA, RAC, General Motors and scientists from across the UK. The Gateway Scheme will test passenger shuttle services (think golf buggy without the driver) as well as a clever valet parking service for adapted cars. To help the most skeptical among us, the Gateway Scheme will also offer a driverless car simulator that assess how people feel about a computer taking the wheel.

Aside from all the techy, efficiency stuff, if driverless cars do as well at saving lives on our roads as they have done in testing then it is very hard to see a future where they don’t play a leading role.

  • Do you want alerts delivered straight to your phone via our WhatsApp service? Text NEWS or SPORT or NEWS AND SPORT, depending on which services you want, and your full name to 07767 417704. Save our number into your phone’s contacts as Oxford Mail WhatsApp and ensure you have WhatsApp installed.