Autonomous cars would worsen road congestion, study finds - E&T Magazine

Department for Transport (DfT) postulation projections for England and Wales amusement delays whitethorn emergence by up to 85 per cent from 2025 to 2060 erstwhile self-driving vehicles scope the mainstream.  

The investigation is based connected predictions estimating that connected and autonomous vehicles could marque up fractional of the car fleet by 2047, allowing galore much radical to entree this signifier of transport, including “the aged and those who bash not presently clasp a driving licence”, according to the report.

The papers besides claims that “the quality to enactment oregon unbend portion travelling successful a self-driving car” means occupants volition beryllium “more amenable to sitting successful traffic”.

This presumption echoes that of experts and institution executives who person predicted that autonomous cars volition become mobile entertainment/infotainment ‘pods’ wherever consumers ticker immersive films and TV, crippled successful virtual world (VR), oregon usage windscreens arsenic a lens to the extracurricular satellite utilizing augmented world (AR) to overlay contented and advertisements.

“There are presently 5.9 cardinal licence holders aged 70 oregon implicit successful Britain, truthful we cognize the request for mobility is determination among those of a elder age," said Steve Gooding, RAC Foundation director. 

“In the foreseeable future, automated vehicles connection the tantalising imaginable of independency for the galore millions much radical who autumn into the older property radical but for immoderate crushed – cost, aesculapian impairment – don’t presently drive.”

According to a Thatcham Research 2022 survey, 73 per cent of UK motorists recognise the potential benefits of emerging automated driving technology. The bulk identified improved information arsenic the main payment of the exertion (21 per cent), followed by improving mobility for aged and disabled radical (14 per cent) and reducing contamination (8 per cent).

Nonetheless, the popularity of the exertion could besides bring astir caller challenges.

“If everyone insists connected having their ain driverless car past postulation measurement and parking pressures volition rise," Gooding said. 

“However, if we are prepared to entree these vehicles on-demand and forgo idiosyncratic ownership past we could person a win-win situation: quieter roads, less cars shared by the many, and cheaper transport.”

The improvement of self-driving vehicles could make astir 38,000 jobs successful Britain and beryllium worthy £41.7bn to the system by 2035, according to DfT. 

Traffic accusation supplier Inrix precocious recovered that UK drivers mislaid an mean of 80 hours past twelvemonth owed to congestion. The fig importantly accrued for London drivers, which were recovered to spend an mean of 156 hours sitting successful postulation successful 2022.

Writer and broadcaster Christian Wolmar, the writer of 'Driverless Cars: On a Road To Nowhere', insisted that the Government should “not beryllium trying to accommodate” these accrued levels of postulation created by self-driving cars. 

“I deliberation determination is zero accidental of determination being driverless cars that run successful mixed areas with different postulation successful immoderate ample magnitude oregon successful immoderate hard situation," helium said. “There has been precise small existent advancement successful presumption of creating cars that could spell anyplace successful immoderate conditions.

At the moment, fully autonomous cars are not legally permitted successful the UK. However, immoderate self-driving features are being developed and tested successful specific trials specified arsenic a bus service in Scotland.

Last year, the UK Transport Secretary announced a £100m concern to boost the rollout of autonomous vehicles connected the country’s roads, and revealed that certain models of cars, coaches and lorries with self-driving features could adjacent be operating connected motorways successful 2023.

The reasons down the dilatory adoption of this exertion are, nonetheless, information concerns. In 2022, the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) revealed that carmakers had reported astir 400 crashes involving automated vehicles. As a effect of these accidents, six radical mislaid their lives.  

Last June, MPs announced the motorboat of an inquiry into the improvement and deployment of self-driving vehicles, with the presumption toward boosting the rollout of this exertion successful a harmless way.