How safe is the “self-propelled” vehicle? – Yahoo! News

A fatal accident in America with a Tesla that was on autopilot, creates a lot of discussion about the self-driving car. How safe ‘ie, and what is actually in the Netherlands?

First, it is important to know that the true self-propelled car in the Netherlands have (long) should not be on public roads . Cars where the driver has to do nothing at all, only the road for special tests in our country. For this, the RDW must first give permission.

Who is liable?

But cars are becoming increasingly independent. As long as the driver himself has his hands on the wheel, you are allowed to use in the Netherlands of supporting functions of your car. autopilot mode Tesla, which happened the fatal accident in the US, for example, is just permitted in the Netherlands. That autopilot can ensure that your car does not stray into another lane, he can adjust the speed of other traffic and can even safely change lanes to overtake someone. Many other brands like Mercedes and BMW have been similar functionalities

There is connected a key condition of your use of the autopilot:. In the Netherlands, you need to bring your hands always adhere to the steering wheel, so you can intervene when things go wrong. If you have an accident in your semi-self-propelled vehicle, are you there than simply responsible for. That could possibly change in the future, if we really get self-propelled cars, but we are still a long way to it.

Is it safe?

the autopilot should ensure that driving becomes more comfortable, but to make driving safer. Statistics from Tesla itself shows that there is one fatality is counted in autopilot mode after it has been driven a total of 209 million kilometers along. According to the manufacturer, there is an average of one death per 151 million US mileage. The autopilot appears to date so relatively safe, although there is still little information available bar.

In the Netherlands the number of deaths per kilometer lower than in the US In recent years there were per billion kilometers driven on average two deaths, or one death per 500 million kilometers traveled.

Is safer driving with the autopilot?

According to the Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment, 90 percent of accidents on Dutch roads caused by human error. The ministry also expects that (partly) self-propelled cars provide fewer accidents.

Professor Marjan Road Hagenzieker TU Delft places stand a side note. “The next few years will remain necessary for people to stay alert even if they have to do anything that is dangerous, because people are distracted and sinking to intervene then,.. That’s more difficult.”

Are we ever truly independent driving?

the RDW shares the self-driving car into five phases. The first phase was the ordinary car, where you had to do everything yourself. At present we are many years in phase two. These are cars where the driver is helped, but themselves to look up yet. Other examples of phase two technologies include ABS and park assist. Even phase three, where cars independently on the highway might times when you’re watching a movie, according to the RDW still very far away. Also Hagenzieker think still ‘distant future’ is.

According to some predictions, we drive in 2030, though almost all of them in a real self-propelled car. But auto journalist Carlo Brantsen doubt whether we in the Netherlands ever fully self propelled cars get on the road, where you only need in- and out steps (stage five). All cars would then need to communicate with each other, but also, for example with sensors at each intersection. Whether it ever comes to that, according to him very doubtful.