Self Driving Cars  

Self driving car technology could eliminate the distracted driving-related statistic that has over 1000 people being injured everyday, and over eight being killed. As Elon Musk's latest news shows, the technology may be a lot closer than we think.

To some Americans, a driverless car society is a scary one. But to others, particularly of the younger generation, owning a self-driving car would be a futuristic dream come true, straight from the movie set. But, the two major ride-hailing companies, along with car manufacturers are already competing to enter this unknown market. Autonomous vehicles might not be too far off into the future.

An Autonomous Fleet of the Future

While owning self-driving vehicles might still be decades away, companies like Lyft and Uber are researching and testing this technology right now in the rental arena. In January Lyft announced its partnership with General Motors to create an autonomous fleet. In the current system, many drivers using their cars for these on-demand driving services are not fully covered by commercial liability insurance. John Zimmer, Lyft’s CEO, set a goal to improve their driver's experience and to invest in their drivers.

Though GM will still invest in privately owned car sales since this is a major portion of their business, they have partnered with Lyft to also grow in a different direction; renting instead of selling cars to drivers. GM won’t stop selling personal cars anytime soon, but this move will put GM at the forefront of driverless technology and the car rental, on-demand subscription service. “Our view is the change is going to happen. We want to be driving it and leading it," says Dan Ammann, General Motors President.

Consumers like this on-demand service, especially in urban areas where people are less likely to own their own vehicles. While GM is trying to maintain its foreground, other car companies aren’t far behind and Ford is promising to deliver this same technology in commercial fleets within five years.

Related articles

• What Will Self Driving Cars Mean for Us? 
• General Motors Developing Cars That Can Detect Distracted Driving 
• Racing Towards Tomorrow: Who Will Build the Ideal Self-Driving Car? 

Vehicle and Liability

Today when insuring your vehicle, driver risk is taken into consideration. Insurance covers us in the event of an accident. But who’s fault is it in an autonomous vehicle? And who will be liable? The insurance industry will need to follow new laws and regulations created with the rise of autonomous vehicles. Investigations will include looking at the technology. Insurance agents will guide you on what to expect when picking insurance. But it’s still unclear who is considered at fault if there is an accident.

Accidents on the Road

Distracted driving kills eight people everyday, and injures over 1000 more, according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC). Instead of paying attention to the road, we are reading billboards, searching out the best music, eating or drinking coffee, checking themselves in the mirror, and using technology while driving.

Driving and cell phone use is increasing over time and it’s estimated that over 600,000 drivers are on the road at all times using technology. Younger generations use technology more than older generations. Kids are using smartphones and tablets younger than ever before. So it’s no surprise the incidents of distracted driving is increasing over time.

While laws are there in the event of injury or death caused by a distracted driver, that hasn’t stopped people from texting and driving. Autonomous self-driving vehicles could eliminate the distracted driving statistic. Does this mean less accidents on the road?

Accidents are still a major concern among consumers when considering driverless technology. The idea promises safety, but not everyone is convinced. Tesla’s first auto-pilot fatal car crash showed the world that technology isn’t perfect, and often can’t be controlled. And the questions, who is responsible is at the top of everyone’s mind. Driverless technology is no longer the dream of science fiction movie buffs. In the very near future driverless cars will be a reality. Urban centers and commercial fleets will set the stage and reinvent the rental subscription service in the car industry, and could be a way to help make us all safer.

By  Lindsey Patterson

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Author Bio - Lindsey is a freelance writer specializing in business and consumer technology.

 Self Driving Cars  

Senior design expert Donald Norman asks what's worse, bad drivers or bad robot drivers and comes up with a firm answer—the sooner we can get automated cars on the road, the better.

Donald Norman has been trying to help designers create human friendly devices and interfaces for  years. This includes the mobile technologies that now contribute to some of the most dangerous habits we deal with today—distracted driving.

"I am fearful of the rapid rush toward full automation and have published numerous articles about the difficulties we will face because of the mismatch of the automation and human behavior," writes Norman in a piece for LinkedIn. "However, I am even more fearful of the rapid rise of distracting devices installed in automobiles, mounted on dashboards, worn on the wrist or body, or carried on seats, pockets, and laps of drivers."

In the United States over 30,000 people die each year in automobile accidents. Over 1 million are injured. In the world, the World Health Organization estimates deaths at over 1 million and injuries between 20 and 50 million.

Self driving cars, like Delphi's that recently drove across the United States, today remain largely a research and development activity, however some estimates predict they will be common on our roads before 2020.  Managing all the complexities of city driving and adverse weather conditions remain areas where the technology needs to be made better, prior to mass adoption.

Meanwhile people continue to produce large number of deaths and injuries in their vehicles. Making matters worse is the rise of distracted driving. While drivers adjust the temperature in the car, tune the radio, or try to send a text message, distractions take their attention from the road for considerable time. As Norman points out, at 60 mph (100 kph), in one second the driver has gone roughly 90 feet (30 meters). In the city, at 6 miles/hour (10 kph), this translates to 9 feet (3 meters): one second of distraction is more than enough to crash into another vehicle hit a pedestrian.

"Today’s imperfect automation is preferable to today’s distracted and imperfect drivers. The sooner we can get automated cars on the road, the better."

Norman points out that more and more technology in our cars is contributing to the explosion of distracted driving. "Heads-up displays (HUDs) that once were aids to minimizing distraction by making it easier for the driver to see navigation aids and speed, are now catching featuritis, that deadly disease which corrupts products," he wries.  "Now HUDs show information about the song being played and at least one company proposes being able to do videoconferences with the image of the other person hovering in the air in front of the automobile. We know from aviation’s use of HUDs that when reading the display, people do not see objects on the roads (or runways), even though their eyes are pointed right at them."

Automation is imperfect, but it is continually getting better. Distractions are dangerous, and continually becoming more pervasive, more numerous. This leads to the obvious conclusion: Today’s imperfect automation is preferable to today’s distracted and imperfect drivers. The sooner we can get automated cars on the road, the better.

Laws don't work either according to Norman. "I predict that within the next decade, automation will be good enough to reduce the number of accidents and deaths in the world. More importantly, automation will be on an ever-increasing trajectory of improvement in safety and reliability."

When should we switch to automated vehicles, asks Norman. "As soon as we are determine that automation can significantly reduce deaths and injuries. We will need to do controlled tests in order to know that the cure – automation – is indeed better than the ailment – human drivers."

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Norman points out that self driving cars will not eliminate all accidents, injuries and deaths associated with driving. "Worse, because of the tight coupling of one automated auto to another, when there is an accident it is apt to involve multiple vehicles with a large number of deaths and injuries," he predicts. "But the fundamental question is whether there has been a significant reduction in deaths and injuries. Even if 10,000-20,000 people per year die in automated vehicles, that would be a huge decrease in deaths. And every year the automated vehicles will become safer."

The increasing number of distractions for drivers like infotainment systems and the every increasing number of new devices, tempt drivers and take their focus off their primary task. "Imperfect driving is potentially more dangerous than imperfect automation," writes Norman.  "Add to this the other benefits to those today who are unable to drive: the elderly, the handicapped, and of course the blind."

Norman is the director of the newly established Design Lab at the University of California San Diego (which is doing research on automated vehicles), co-founder of the Nielsen Norman group, professor (Harvard, UC San Diego, Northwestern, KAIST, Tongji), business exec (former VP at Apple and executive at HP), on company boards and company advisor, and author of best-selling books on design: Emotional Design, Living with Complexity, and the highly influential Design of Everyday Things.

SOURCE  LinkedIn

By 33rd Square

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 Cars  

Technology is a double-edged sword when it comes to car accidents--some technology causes accidents, while other technology prevents them. This article discusses why and how technology contributes to car accidents or keeps them from happening.

Technology can be simultaneously our friend and foe; especially when we're behind the wheel. It's estimated that 660,000 people across America, at any given time of day, are using cell phones, radios, GPS, or some other form of technology while driving. So, while it is well established that technology does create distraction, it's also important to note that it can also help us be safer drivers when we're distracted. From special cell phone apps to autonomous vehicles, the potential for technology to keep us safe behind the wheel is endless. Keep reading to learn about the helpful and hurtful nature of technology while driving.

Accident-Causing Technology

Cell phones

Despite being in general use for decades, people are still ignoring the danger of cell phone use while driving. In fact, 25% of teenagers will text every time they drive. Only a decade ago, cell phone usage in the car wasn’t a main contributor to car accidents, and now it happens every day. Some technology now allows drivers to sync their smartphone to their car’s system so that they can talk on the phone hands-free, and even dictate texts to their phone. However, too many people are taking their eyes off the road to text, resulting in heinous and sometimes deadly accidents.

Music

Long gone are the days of merely turning on the radio to listen to music, or popping a CD in. Now with endless music delivery options from satellite radio, cell phones, and MP3 players, the potential for distraction is equally multiplied. While some technology has made it easier to get your favorite songs while you drive, the action of changing songs or using a device while driving is still causing accidents.

GPS

It is ironic, but global positioning systems that are designed to make driving easier are actually a big distraction. While on the road, drivers frequently try to enter their destination or search for near-by businesses without pulling over, and thus take their eyes off the road. Additionally, studies show that hands free devices for cell phones don't reduce the risk of an accidents since our attention is still taken away from traffic; the same principle applies to use of a GPS.

Accident-Preventing Technology

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Smart Phone Apps

While cell phones are frequently responsible for car accidents, applications available on select smart phones can actually help prevent accidents. The majority of these apps disable phones while the owner is driving, but some will actually read text messages or emails out-loud for the driver so that they can keep their eyes on the road. These apps can be extremely beneficial if you have teenage drivers.

Accident Avoidance Technology

Cars can increasingly park themselves, and soon they will even be able to talk to one another. This technology helps take out "human error" which is, no doubt, the cause of a vast majority of crashes. Many newer cars include features like lane correction technology that keeps the driver from distractedly drifting out of their lane. Other systems can survey the road ahead to notify the driver of any obstacles or dangers.

Autonomous Vehicles

While this sounds like something out of the sci-fi movie, self-automated cars are already on the road. While self-driving cars might not be on the road for a while, there are companies creating cars with automated features that take a lot of responsibility off of the driver. Many companies are following these pioneers' footsteps (or treads in this case), and are developing autonomous vehicles for themselves.

There's no denying it, our safety behind the wheel is crushed and bolstered by technology. It's been proven that we just can't resist the temptation of technology and thus regularly enter distraction; hopefully future advances will override the dangerous situations we can't help but put ourselves in.

By Dixie Somers

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 Driving  

According to reports,  General Motors may soon be including a system in their vehicles that monitor drivers and prevent distracted driving. The safety system uses a series of cameras, motion sensors, and face recognition software, that allows the device to detect signs of distraction.

I
n addition to various government agencies and road safety organizations, many car makers have actively joined the battle against distracted driving lately, after becoming aware of the disastrous impact it has on society. There is somewhat of a consensus among transportation authorities, law enforcement, and the auto industry, that technology can help fight distracted driving, and automakers have been urged by the Department of Transportation to try and develop high-tech solutions and strategies to deter drivers from engaging into activities that can take their attention away from driving and focus on the road.

One of the most promising in-car technology solutions unveiled lately is a system that can detect distracted driving behavior, developed by General Motors. As the Financial Times reports, the American car maker has developed an eye- and hand-tracking technology, which is supposed to be implemented in 500,000 vehicles that are set to be rolled out within the next three to five years.

Cameras will track the driver's head movements and facial expressions, and determine whether he/she has turned his/her eyes off the road for more than a couple of seconds, which could lead to a collision.

According to the report, Takata, a company that supplies GM with safety components, has signed a contract with Seeing Machines, an Australian manufacturer of sensing technologies and analytics, to supply the tracking devices that will be installed in various GM models. The solution developed by Seeing Machines involves a series of cameras, motion sensors, and face recognition software, that allows the device to detect signs of distraction. The cameras will track the driver's head movements and facial expressions, and determine whether he/she has turned his/her eyes off the road for more than a couple of seconds, which could lead to a collision.

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Than, if the sensors and the cameras detect some of these potentially dangerous eye and hand movements, the device will alert the driver and remind them that they need to keep their eyes on the road.

On top of the detecting distracted driving feature, the device will also be able to protect cars from theft, with a feature that can determine whether the person sitting behind the wheel is the car's owner, or another authorized user of the car. What's more, it will allow drivers to access mobile apps through eye movements, which will surely help eliminate a lot of potential distractions.

However, while technology is being touted as the ideal solution to distracted driving by some, others argue that it might deteriorate the problem even further. Some traffic safety experts are of the opinion that fitting vehicles with this kind of devices will only encourage drivers to do tasks that are not related to driving, thinking that the sensors and cameras will keep them safe, which does not help raise awareness of the consequences of distracted driving at all.

Be that as it may, in a time when there is no shortage of things that can distract a driver, these types of solutions are a good addition to the campaigns against this risky behavior, and with the introduction of these devices, General Motors wishes to demonstrate its commitment to contribute to the eradication of this epidemic on U.S. roads.

By Jordan Perch

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Author Bio - Jordan Perch is an automotive fanatic and “safe driving” specialist. He is a writer for DMV.com, which is a collaborative community designed to help ease the stress and annoyance of “dealing with the DMV.”

 Gadgets  

Guest writer Jordan Perch reminds us that no matter how useful and convenient today's car dashboards are, car owners need to know that they are a big distraction and have to reduce the use of all those gadgets to minimum.

Nowadays, almost all new cars are equipped with sophisticated infotainment systems that provide information and entertainment content, which includes navigation, playing audio and video content, composing, sending and receiving text messages, making phone calls, and provide Internet access, among other things.

Some of these systems can be controlled through voice commands, while others require touch-screen input, but what's common for all of them is that they are a huge source of driver distraction, no matter how they are used and controlled. Even though they are very useful and help drivers navigate through traffic more easily, and allow them to improve their cars' fuel efficiency by providing information about a car's performances and fuel consumption, using them can be quite dangerous, as it decreases a driver's road concentration and often results in collisions.

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While it's obvious that this in-car connectivity provides a lot of benefits, the fact that they cause cognitive, visual and manual distraction has urged the authorities to take more serious measures to deter drivers from using car gadgets while driving. Distracted driving laws have been put into effect in many states, involving high fines and license suspensions, but many people are still texting and making phone calls behind the wheel, which has motivated the state of New York to introduce a new way for catching and penalizing distracted drivers. Now, there are SUVs on the road that are equipped with cameras and computers and are supposed to have a better look into your car and see whether you are distracted by using your cell phone.

This might help law enforcement agencies catch distracted drivers more easily, but it only addresses the issue of talking on a cell phone or texting while driving. But, distracted driving laws don't sanction using gadgets that car companies install on their vehicles' dashboards. A lot of cars have dashboards with large touch-screens that you can use to access the Internet, log on to your Facebook profile, and open all sorts of applications, that often don't have anything to do with driving, but are only used for entertainment purposes.

Although they are less of a distraction than cell phones, drivers have to take their eyes off the road and their hands off the wheel for a couple of seconds when they want to use some of the features provided in their cars' infotainment systems, and a couple of seconds are more than enough to lose control over a vehicle.

However, in-car connectivity is a very important part car manufacturers' efforts to stay ahead of the competition, and it's highly unlikely that they will be willing to give that up. Some car companies are aware that infotainment systems can be distracting and they are trying to reduce those distractions, by setting restrictions as to what you can use them for, such as Nissan, which only allows you to use your car's touchscreen for navigational purposes. But, this is far from an ideal solution, and no matter how useful and convenient today's car dashboards that are starting to look like computers are, car owners need to know that they are a big distraction and have to reduce the use of all those gadgets to minimum.

By Jordan Perch

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Author Bio - Jordan Perch is an automotive fanatic and “green cars” specialist. He is a writer for DMV.com, which is a collaborative community designed to help ease the stress and annoyance of “dealing with the DMV”.