Autonomous Vehicles: The Dawn of a Safety RevolutionAutonomous vehicle technology has been a high-profile topic. Recently, the General Office of the Ministry of Transport of China issued the "Guidelines for Transportation Safety Services for Autonomous Vehicles (Trial)", which has made detailed specifications for the commercial standards of autonomous driving passengers and goods, and the implementation of this policy marks the spring of the autonomous driving industry. However, some people are still skeptical about autonomous driving technology, believing that it is just a gimmick by manufacturers to raise the premium. However, a self-driving company called Waymo in the United States has recently published amazing research results, which deserve our attention. Based on years of testing and research, Waymo declared: "Driverless cars are 85% less likely to be injured in a car accident than humans are driving;The probability of a reported car accident occurring is 57% lower than that of a human driver. This conclusion is shocking. In particular, the autonomous driving system estimated 17 fewer accidents resulting in injuries and 20** fewer reported crashes compared to a human driver driving the same distance in a city where Waymo operates.
This means that self-driving cars are safer on the road than humans driving. It is worth mentioning that the autonomous driving system involved in Waymo is their own research and development of the "Waymo Driver" autonomous driving system. The company said that at present, the system has realized the L4 autonomous driving function and has achieved a certain scale of mass production application. In 2023, for example, Waymo autonomous vehicles have already carried 700,000 passengers, of which 7.13 million miles (about 11.36 million kilometers) have been driven in a fully driverless state. The more than 7 million miles of mileage are not data brushed out in the laboratory, but the results of real road tests, and even the safety officers are not involved in the test. Trent Victor, director of safety research and best practices at Waymo, said: "What we wanted to do was provide a clearer picture of what differentiates Waymo from other autonomous vehicle companies. Another difference is that we are expanding responsibly.
This data has forced us to re-examine autonomous vehicle technology. Self-driving cars can not only improve the efficiency of transportation, but also significantly reduce the occurrence of traffic accidents. According to Waymo's research results, the safety of autonomous driving technology has been strongly demonstrated. This will not only have a profound impact on the automotive industry, but will also have a significant impact on people's travel habits. Behind all this, we see the endless possibilities brought about by autonomous driving technology. Both domestically and internationally, there are both expectations and concerns about autonomous vehicles. However, it is this concern that is driving autonomous vehicle companies to continue to work hard and innovate to do more to achieve safer and more convenient ways to get around. The autonomous vehicle market is booming, and there is reason to believe that autonomous driving technology will become the mainstream of the automotive industry in the future. Autonomous driving technology has been in the spotlight, and Waymo's recently announced results of self-driving tests have also caused a lot of discussion.
While the company has touted the safety of its self-driving technology, it has also raised some skepticism. Some have questioned the impartiality of the experiment, as boasting about it may raise suspicion about the results of the experiment. When comparing the accident rate of autonomous driving with that of a human driver, it is necessary to consider how to control the variables. While the accident rate can reflect safety to a certain extent, the severity of the accident also needs to be considered. Although autonomous driving technology can use automotive sensors to avoid minor accidents, whether it has the emergency response capability of a human driver in high-speed and complex road conditions is still an urgent problem to be solved. Interestingly, Waymo's test results came as its rival Cruise was penalized for an accident involving a pedestrian under a self-driving taxi, and even lost its driverless operation and road permits. This has further exacerbated public skepticism about the safety of autonomous driving.
Overall, Waymo's test results can be seen as a proactive attempt to defuse the "autonomous driving"** crisis. However, with similar accidents occurring, the safety of autonomous driving technology is still a topic of great concern.