What the hell?!
That’s the “safe-for-work” reaction, but surely residents of one Atlanta neighborhood may have thought or used more colorful language after what was recently caught on camera.
And surprise, surprise, it involved driverless vehicles.
While the backdrops are extremely different, it’s hard not to be reminded of a scene in the recent Netflix release, “Leave the World Behind,” which shows multiple driverless vehicles crashing into each other during a cyberattack.
Sure, it’s a movie, but cybersecurity is among the chief concerns surrounding the deployment of driverless vehicles in the U.S.
Recently, WSB-TV in Atlanta aired footage of Waymo driverless vehicles bombarding one particular cul-de-sac, but this isn’t the first time it’s happened in this area, residents said.
One resident told the television station that approximately 50 Waymos drove through the neighborhood between 6 and 7 a.m. on this day.
“It just doesn’t feel safe,” the resident said.
According to the Georgia media outlet, residents have contacted local representatives and the Georgia Department of Transportation in search of solutions.
We’ve already seen driverless vehicles block emergency personnel during a mass shooting, failing to yield to school buses, hit a student using a crosswalk and narrowly avoid a collision with a train.
And the recalls, which typically follow whatever apologetic statement is offered after such incidents, feel like a stopgap at best.
Unfortunately, these few examples hardly scratch the surface of the dangerous scenarios we’ve seen involving driverless vehicles.
Federal agencies have investigated numerous incidents, several of which remain ongoing.
Yet, seemingly unfazed, driverless vehicle developers and manufacturers continue rapid expansion, all while seeking and in some cases receiving exemptions from federal regulations.
“There continue to be real-world situations in which automation has devastatingly failed,” OOIDA wrote in opposition to an Aurora Innovations request to use beacons instead of warning triangles.
Currently operating on a limited waiver, if Aurora gets its desired outcome, the company intends to expand its driverless fleet by thousands over the next five years.
Cul-de-sacs and beyond, beware.
Numerous comments opposing the request for an exemption from the warning triangle requirement were filed by trucking stakeholders, including OOIDA, which pointed out flaws in Aurora’s research.
“These isolated studies do not provide adequate justification that warning beacons can achieve an equal or greater level of safety as currently,” OOIDA wrote. “The study locations do not account for all the varying weather, road, lighting and traffic conditions that CMVs encounter throughout the country.”
Whether or not this exemption is granted remains to be seen.
Either way, it’s becoming clearer by the day that driverless developers and manufacturers are highly motivated to make their mark on the trucking industry.
However, the cost of that ambition may be even steeper than they realize. LL
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