Here' s Why Autonomous Car Tests Are Still Highly Flawed CarBuzz News Features New Cars Used Cars Sell My Car Shopping Tools Car Reviews Car Finder Compare Cars Best Cars Car Dealerships Used Car Reviews Car Advice Home News Here' s Why Autonomous Car Tests Are Still Highly Flawed

Here' s Why Autonomous Car Tests Are Still Highly Flawed

Oct. 27, 2018 11:20 AM ET by Jared Rosenholtz / 1 Comment We need better measurements to test self-driving vehicles. After a self-driving Volvo XC90 Uber struck and killed a pedestrian in Arizona, industry experts have been looking to change how we test autonomous vehicles. Apple's autonomous test vehicles have also experienced issues and Toyota temporarily suspended autonomous car testing following the Uber crash. Speaking to Automotive News at a conference in Washington, Derek Kan, undersecretary for policy at the US Department of Transportation, pointed out that autonomous vehicles require a more effective measurement to prove their safety. As of now, autonomous car developers simply use miles driven and the frequency of human intervention, but Kan believes that a new form of measurement is needed. One of the issues with the current measurement is that it treats all miles equally. For instance, it is far more difficult for a self-driving car to navigate a crowded city than an empty highway. For this reason, the current measuring metrics "don't provide a very rich data set," Kan said. As part of the push toward self-driving vehicles, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is seeking suggestions for new guidelines on autonomous vehicle testing. The NHTSA is also looking into changing vehicle safety standards to allow for cars with no steering wheel or pedals. Uber Uber Toyota Until autonomous cars are proven to be as safe or safer than traditional human-driven vehicles, it will be of the utmost importance to measure their effectiveness in real-world situations. Some companies like Honda use a ghost town to test self-driving cars in order to minimize risk, though this limits the number of real-world obstacles the car will encounter. For now, it seems like the automotive industry is struggling to find a better way to test autonomous cars. AP Photo/Eric Risberg ABC15 Arizona/YouTube

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Volvo XC90 Hybrid Jared Rosenholtz Editor-at-Large After graduating with an MBA, Jared pursued his love of cars by becoming an automotive journalist. An internship with CarBuzz grew into his current position as Editor At Large. Jared now spends most of his time evaluating new vehicles and chasing the latest news stories in the automotive industry. When he’s not attending Cars & Coffee events on the weekend, Jared loves to watch NFL football and cruise around with the top down in his German convertible. Contact Jared @Carsnbites @jar_rosenholtz LoginSign Up Home News Features Car Reviews Car Advice 2021 CarBuzz Awards New Cars Used Cars Future Cars Compare Cars Sell My Car Car Dealerships Buy Here Pay Here Used Car Reviews Popular Tags Cars # Video # TOP # Spy Shots # Reveal # Rumor # Auto Show # Supercar # Tuning # Car Culture # Industry News # Motorsport Acura Alfa Romeo Aston Martin Audi Bentley BMW Bollinger Bugatti Buick Cadillac Caterham Chevrolet Chrysler Dodge Ferrari Fiat Fisker Ford Genesis GMC Hennessey Honda Hyundai Infiniti Jaguar Jeep Karma Kia Koenigsegg Lamborghini Land Rover Lexus Lincoln Lordstown Lotus Lucid Motors Maserati Mazda McLaren Mercedes-Benz Mini Mitsubishi Nissan Pagani Polestar Porsche Ram Rimac Rivian Rolls-Royce Spyker Subaru Tesla Toyota Volkswagen Volvo By Make Acura Alfa Romeo Aston Martin Audi Bentley BMW Bollinger Bugatti Buick Cadillac Caterham Chevrolet Chrysler Dodge Ferrari Fiat Fisker Ford Genesis GMC Hennessey Honda Hyundai Infiniti Jaguar Jeep Karma Kia Koenigsegg Lamborghini Land Rover Lexus Lincoln Lordstown Lotus Lucid Motors Maserati Mazda McLaren Mercedes-Benz Mini Mitsubishi Nissan Pagani Polestar Porsche Ram Rimac Rivian Rolls-Royce Spyker Subaru Tesla Toyota Volkswagen Volvo By Car Type SUVs Crossovers Sedans Coupes Trucks Sports Cars Wagons Vans Hatchbacks Convertibles Small Cars Luxury Cars Electric Cars Hybrid Cars Future Cars By Price Up to $15K $15K - $25K $25K - $35K $35K - $45K $45K - $55K $55K - $75K $75K - $100K $100K - $200K $200K - $300K Above $300K Back To Top