---
title: "Vehicular automation"
chunk: 7/7
source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicular_automation"
category: "reference"
tags: "science, encyclopedia"
date_saved: "2026-05-05T04:24:39.053882+00:00"
instance: "kb-cron"
---

=== Lack of control ===
Through the autonomy level, it is shown that the higher the level of autonomy, the less control humans have on their vehicles (highest level of autonomy needing zero human interventions). One concerns regarding the development of vehicular automation is related to the end-users' trust in the technology that controls automated vehicles. According to a nationally conducted survey made by Kelley Blue Book (KBB) in 2016, it was shown that the majority of people would choose to have a certain level of control behind their own vehicle rather than having the vehicle operate in Level 5 autonomy, or in other words, complete autonomy. According to half of the respondents, the idea of safety in an autonomous vehicle diminishes as the level of autonomy increases. This distrust of autonomous driving systems proved to be unchanged throughout the years when a nationwide survey conducted by AAA Foundation for Traffic and Safety (AAAFTS) in 2019 showed the same outcome as the survey KBB did in 2016. AAAFTS survey showed that even though people have a certain level of trust in automated vehicles, most people also have doubts and distrust towards the technology used in autonomous vehicles, with most distrust in Level 5 autonomous vehicles. It is shown by AAAFTS' survey that people's trust in autonomous driving systems increased when their level of understanding increased.

=== Malfunctions ===

The possibility of autonomous vehicle's technology to experience malfunctions is also one of the causes of user's distrust in autonomous driving systems. It is the concern that most respondents voted for in the AAAFTS survey. Even though autonomous vehicles are made to improve traffic safety by minimizing crashes and their severity, they still caused fatalities. At least 113 autonomous vehicle related accidents have occurred until 2018. In 2015, Google declared that their automated vehicles experienced at least 272 failures, and drivers had to intervene around 13 times to prevent fatalities. Furthermore, other automated vehicles' manufacturers also reported automated vehicles' failures, including the Uber car incident. A self-driving Uber car accident in 2018 is an example of autonomous vehicle accidents that are also listed among self-driving car fatalities. A report made by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) showed that the self-driving Uber car was unable to identify the victim in a sufficient amount of time for the vehicle to slow down and avoid crashing into the victim.

=== Ethical ===
Another concern related to vehicle automation is its ethical issues. In reality, autonomous vehicles can encounter inevitable traffic accidents. In such situations, many risks and calculations need to be made in order to minimize the amount of damage the accident could cause. When a human driver encounters an inevitable accident, the driver will take a spontaneous action based on ethical and moral logic. However, when a driver has no control over the vehicle (Level 5 autonomy), the system of an autonomous vehicle needs to make that quick decision. Unlike humans, autonomous vehicles can only make decisions based on what it is programmed to do. However, the situation and circumstances of accidents differ from one another, and any one decision might not be the best decision for certain accidents. Based on two research studies in 2019, the implementation of fully automated vehicles in traffic where semi-automated and non-automated vehicles are still present might lead to complications. Some flaws that still need consideration include the structure of liability, distribution of responsibilities, efficiency in decision making, and the performance of autonomous vehicles with its diverse surroundings. Still, researchers Steven Umbrello and Roman V. Yampolskiy propose that the value sensitive design approach is one method that can be used to design autonomous vehicles to avoid some of these ethical issues and design for human values.

== See also ==
Self-driving car
Self-driving truck
Dashcam
Intelligent speed adaptation
Intelligent Transportation System
Robotaxi
Transit media
Uncrewed vehicle
Software Defined Vehicle (SDV)

== References ==

== Works cited ==
"Uber Self-Driving Cars Hit The Streets Of Pittsburgh". www.cbsnews.com. 14 September 2016. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
Badue, Claudine; Guidolini, Rânik; Carneiro, Raphael Vivacqua; Azevedo, Pedro; Cardoso, Vinicius B.; Forechi, Avelino; Jesus, Luan; Berriel, Rodrigo; Paixão, Thiago M.; Mutz, Filipe; de Paula Veronese, Lucas; Oliveira-Santos, Thiago; De Souza, Alberto F. (1 March 2021). "Self-driving cars: A survey". Expert Systems with Applications. 165 113816. Elsevier. arXiv:1901.04407. doi:10.1016/j.eswa.2020.113816.
Azam, Shoaib; Munir, Farzeen; Sheri, Ahmad Muqeem; Kim, Joonmo; Jeon, Moongu (22 October 2020). "System, Design and Experimental Validation of Autonomous Vehicle in an Unconstrained Environment". Sensors. 20 (21): 5999. Bibcode:2020Senso..20.5999A. doi:10.3390/s20215999. PMC 7660187. PMID 33105897.
Serban, Alex; Poll, Erik; Visser, Joost (2020). "A Standard Driven Software Architecture for Fully Autonomous Vehicles". Journal of Automotive Software Engineering. 1 (1). Atlantis Press: 20. doi:10.2991/jase.d.200212.001.

== External links ==
European Commission Intelligent Car website
U.S. Department of Transportation – Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office website
Sheth, Aadit (3 January 2024). "Indian AI And Robotics Startup Claims Level 5 Autonomy". Prompt Engineering Daily. Retrieved 27 January 2024.