Falling asleep in an AV… but what happens next?

Sleeping while a driverless car speeds you to your destination has long been touted as the dream of the new technology – and something of a nightmare for safety campaigners. A new video from the BBC shows exactly what happens if a driver falls asleep in an autonomous vehicle (AV). In the filmed test, the AV prompts the driver to resume control when approaching roadworks on a motorway. When the driver fails to act, the vehicle comes to a halt and automatically parks in a lay-by. Motor industry research
September 18, 2019 Read time: 2 mins

Sleeping while a driverless car speeds you to your destination has long been touted as the dream of the new technology – and something of a nightmare for safety campaigners.

A new %$Linker: 2 External <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 0 0 0 link-external video false https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/business-49652566/what-happens-if-you-fall-asleep-in-a-self-driving-car false false%> from the 4967 BBC shows exactly what happens if a driver falls asleep in an autonomous vehicle (AV).

In the filmed test, the AV prompts the driver to resume control when approaching roadworks on a motorway. When the driver fails to act, the vehicle comes to a halt and automatically parks in a lay-by.

Motor industry research organisation Thatcham Research wants this capability to be mandatory in autonomous systems.

Thatcham’s Matthew Avery says: “Vehicle manufacturers are advocating that its fine for the vehicle to stop in lane. We simply don’t think that’s safe. We say that vehicle manufacturers mustn’t leave a vehicle in the middle of the lane. If the driver doesn’t respond, pull the vehicle over, out of the running traffic.”

Urban Traffic Control

For more information on companies in this article

BBC

Related Content

  • New York gov: introduce Manhattan road pricing ‘or face 30% fare rise’
    February 12, 2019
    New York’s governor has suggested that unless some form of dynamic pricing is imposed on motorists in the city, there will be a 30% hike in public transit fares and tolls. Democrat Andrew Cuomo said the stiff Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) price rise would hit those using subways, buses, tunnels and bridges, Associated Press (AP) reports. He is calling for tolls which charge motorists entering the most congested areas of Manhattan – south of 60th Street – which he believes could raise $1
    Read More
  • Stella Vie solar car shows way forward
    March 21, 2018
    The low-slung, curved roofline reminds you initially of a tortoise, but the latest solar-powered car from the Eindhoven University of Technology has a performance of which even the speediest tortoise can only dream. The ultra-streamlined Stella Vie car, built by students in 10 months from September 2016 for the World Solar Challenge, can get up to a highly-respectable 120km/h and travel up to 1000km on a sunny Dutch day. That comes from a lithium-ion battery that generates sufficient power for 600km, toppe
    Read More
  • Go-Ahead uses Dovu’s blockchain tech to augment customer data
    February 7, 2019
    UK train and bus company Go-Ahead is to use Dovu’s blockchain-driven reward platform to gain more data on its passengers. The scheme will be rolled out initially on Go-Ahead’s Thameslink and Southern Rail train services and offers passengers using the Dovu platform the chance to earn cryptocurrency when they share their travel information. This will be used to help them make changes to their travel behaviour, the companies say. Among other things, Dovu aims to encourage the use and sharing of tran
    Read More
  • Europe’s number one leading Mobility as a Service conference says the future of transport lies in delivering change
    January 19, 2018
    First hand reports on the rapid progress being made, as well as the obstacles being faced, by Mobility as a Service projects across Europe dominate the agenda of the second “MaaS Market Concept to Delivery” conference taking place in London next month. Speakers will cover the political and regulatory implications, open data, technology and common standards, demand responsive transport and future business models. This is Europe’s number one leading MaaS event and it includes presentations from Port
    Read More

Highlighted Content