Understanding how the driverless car law will apply and should — explicitly — legal in at least one state is an urgent challenge. The Legal Aspects of Autonomous Driving program is a unique collaboration between the Faculty of Law and the School of Engineering that explores the legal, political and social aspects of greater vehicle automation. Also, when is it legal to completely remove your hands from the wheel and keep the vehicle under control? Should there be restrictions on what you can do in the car? For example, should you be allowed to surf social media or use your smartphone while the car is sailing for you? UNECE (2016) UNECE is leading the way in automated driving by updating the United Nations International Convention. UNECE press release of 23 March 2016. www.unece.org/info/media/presscurrent-press-h/transport/2016/unece-paves-the-way-for-automated-driving-by-updating-un-international-convention/doc.html GRVA (2019) Future certification of automated/autonomous driving systems. International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers (OICA) McCall R, McGee F, Mirnig A, Meschtscherjakov A (2018) A taxonomy of autonomous vehicle transfer situations. Transp Res Part A 124:507 Van den Beukel AP, van der Voort MC, Eger AO (2016) Supporting the changing driver`s task: exploration of interface designs for supervision and intervention in automated driving. Transp Res Part F 43:279 This is relevant to the issue described above, where drivers of autonomous vehicles may not assess their responsibilities in the use of such a vehicle. To operate the autonomous vehicle safely, drivers must develop “calibrated confidence” through knowledge of how the system works (Biondi et al., 2019). Existing research showing that simulator and video training for AV has a positive impact on user attitudes and higher-order cognitive abilities, and provides an improved mental model of AV.
To some extent, simulator-based training can be useful, and driver training via virtual reality systems or simulators can play a role in acquiring the skills needed to interact with the AV (Sportillo et al., 2018). Although a simulated environment approach allows for approximate use of technology, it has been found that this approach cannot give users an idea of large and complete systems (Moran et al., 2014). Overall, simulators have proven inadequate in many areas of autonomous vehicle driver training. While simulators have advantages, they do not necessarily prepare the driver for an automated driving task. “Learning by doing” is essential (Boelhouwer et al., 2019) and drivers need training strategies to support them in transfer situations. Drivers trained in ârealemâAV can benefit from improved skills, knowledge and safer automated to manual recovery, as their driving experience provides a more transparent overview of the performance of highly automated cars (Ebnali et al., 2019) and specialized training improves response time (Payre et al., 2016). The current state of this research forms the basis on which Guide2Autonomy intends to build. The Guide2Autonomy training and assessment program aims to expand research links between drivers` mental and physical abilities and explore how new driver training and education solutions can improve user skills. This is consistent with the framework`s user-centered approach and focus on user perception (Van Egmond et al., 2019).
There is still a long way to go before autonomous technologies can operate unhindered and worry-free on our roads. What are the effects of insurance and product liability? How are data protection, security and customer data handled? What happens if a vehicle suffers a data breach or cyberattack? It`s up to the legal world to help with these policies, regulations, and practices, which means the first step is to understand the technology, how it works, and what it means for everyone involved. Alonso Raposo M, Ciuffo B, Makridis M, Thiel C (2017) The r-evolution of driving: from connected vehicles to coordinated automated road transport. JRC report on science for policy The hype around audiovisual presents semi-automated vehicles as a safe and comfortable alternative means of transport. However, the VA requires drivers to learn new skills to handle automated to manual driving transfers. Training with driving simulators can be beneficial, but low-fidelity prototypes may not provide the driver with the information and experience needed to optimize their knowledge and safety. Practical training in a VA and appropriate certification may be required. The Guide2Autonomy framework, created by the PAsCAL research project, aims to build on current research on autonomous vehicle driver training and address knowledge gaps related to driver risk perception and integrate a focus on human behaviour into the design of driver education programs to improve driver-autonomous vehicle interaction. Specialized training for autonomous vehicle drivers is not only needed to improve drivers` skills. However, driver training is necessary to calibrate drivers` confidence in the autonomous vehicle to a level commensurate with the capabilities of the technology, giving drivers a more realistic idea of what they need to do to drive the vehicle safely. The truth is, while we know the technology is coming into the pipeline — and soon — we don`t know what that means for the state of the market. For example, how long will it take for driverless vehicles to make up the majority of cars on the road? When you compare a vehicle driven by a human to one that runs a computer, how do you notice the flaws? Almost no one questions the idea that autonomous and driverless vehicles are the future.
Almost every existing automaker is working on their version of the driverless car, from Tesla and Lexus to Ford and Toyota. Less is known about how drivers record safety information and other terms and conditions related to the autonomous vehicle, and it is unclear whether drivers will behave in the same way as online content users or air passengers, ignoring safety warnings, instructions and legal requirements. It may be that the impulse to read instructions and warnings before using an autonomous vehicle becomes more prominent, especially when the warnings are associated with references to legal effects such as license sanctions or criminal charges. This is an issue that has not been properly researched so far and requires further investigation. Training specifically tailored to the requirements of human-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-human transfer would determine whether individuals are aware of the risks and responsibilities associated with the use of highly automated vehicles. In the meantime, certification (or the issuance of an autonomous driver`s license) may address the issue of allowing only those people on public roads who have demonstrated some mastery of vehicle-to-human operational transmission.