According to the US Transport Secretary Anthony Foxx, the recent crash between a Google self-driving car and bus is not a surprise, and although autonomous driving technology is not perfect, it is superior to what’s on our roads today.
Accidents are inevitable, and driver-less technology should not be held to a standard of perfection.
While Secretary Foxx says he is uncertain how the future of autonomous cars will unfold, he is certain “driver-less technology presents a lot of potential for disruption on a number of fronts.”
To date, the Obama administration has committed $4 billion to bring self-driving cars to US roads, although it will be several years before autonomous cars are widely introduced to our roadways.
Secretary Foxx states “it’s not a surprise that at some point there would be a crash of any technology that’s on the road […] but I would challenge one to look at the number of crashes that occurred on the same day that were the result of human behavior.”
Secretary Foxx goes on “I think the questions here isn’t comparing the automated car against perfection, I think it’s a relative comparison to what we have now on the road which is you, I, and our eyeballs, and our brains.”
To read more, follow this link: http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-35800285