Self-driving cars are safer than those driven by humans, a study has revealed, but advanced vehicles are more likely to crash in bad weather conditions or when making turns.
The findings were revealed in a study published Wednesday in the journal Nature Communications that analyzed crash data from 2,100 autonomous vehicles and more than 35,100 human-driven vehicles over six years.
Transportation experts say the results could help auto companies justify greater investments in this technology in a bid to reduce road tolls.
The study comes after Australia’s National Transport Commission held a public consultation on the proposed Automated Vehicle Safety Act and rules to allow autonomous vehicles to be trialled on local roads.
The National Transport Commission recently compiled public submissions on a regulatory framework for autonomous vehicles in Australia, noting that a “small number of automated vehicles” could be imported by 2026 (file image)
The analysis, conducted by Mohamed Abdel-Aty and Shengxuan Ding of the University of Central Florida, compared data from human- and technology-driven automobile traffic accidents between 2016 and 2022, including environmental conditions and actions at the time of the accidents.
They found that autonomous vehicles were safer on the roads than human-driven vehicles in most conditions, and that human drivers were responsible for many more accidents caused by driver misbehavior or inattention.
“It can be concluded that (advanced driving systems) are generally safer than (human-driven vehicles) in most accident scenarios due to their object detection and avoidance, precision control and better decision making” says the study.
But the researchers identified two situations in which autonomous vehicles were more prone to accidents: Bad weather conditions, such as rainy days and low light at dawn and dusk, were challenging for their systems.
Self-driving cars also recorded more accidents while turning.
“Possible reasons could be a lack of situational awareness in complex driving situations and limited driving experience,” the study notes.
Hussein Dia, future professor of urban mobility at Swinburne University, told AAP the study underlines the promise of autonomous vehicles, but also demonstrates the need for more research, development and testing.
Research shows that autonomous vehicles are less likely to have accidents, except in low visibility conditions (file image)
“There is still a long way to go but, based on this data, we are achieving better safety levels than human drivers, which is a good result,” he said.
“The accidents are minor in almost all cases except these two circumstances and they used a large accident database.”
Professor Dia said the findings indicated carmakers needed to improve vehicle sensors to take low-light conditions into account and test the technology in complex driving situations.
“Before we put these vehicles on the roads, we need to test them in tight environments or in simulations,” he said.
“There are still teething problems and I would prefer that they be resolved in confined environments rather than on public roads because once accidents occur, public confidence decreases.”
The National Transport Commission recently compiled public submissions on a regulatory framework for autonomous vehicles in Australia, noting that a “small number of automated vehicles” could be imported by 2026.