DRIVING INTO
THE FUTURE
AN AUSTROADS REPORT FOUND SKILL SHORTAGES FOR DRIVERS OF THE AUTOMATED VEHICLES OF TOMORROW. ROADS & INFRASTRUCTURE SPEAKS TO THE REPORT’S AUTHORS ABOUT INCREASING ROAD SAFETY THROUGH EDUCATION AND TRAINING AS TECHNOLOGY EVOLVES.
W
hile Back to the Future: Part Two predicted flying cars and hover boards in the year 2015, it seems technology has not progressed as was expected in the 1980s. However, one technology presented in the film, the self-driving car, has been exciting vehicle enthusiasts and manufacturers from across the globe for years. Over the past decade, the road sector has seen numerous automated vehicle models and trials. In fact, some technology in self-driving cars is somewhat restricted in Australia due to Australian road rule number 297 which states a driver must have proper control of the vehicle. This means that even if fully automated vehicles were available in Australia the driver would legally have to be in control. There are a wide range of technologies that contribute to self-driving cars. As these systems have developed some have made their way into everyday vehicles, such as adaptive cruise control or autonomous emergency braking These technologies, which make up autonomous vehicles, have been defined by the Society of Automated Engineers (SAE) into automation levels which are classified between level zero to five. With increasing levels of technology in vehicles Austroads commissioned research to get a better understanding of how this might impact the work of road agencies that manage driver education and licencing. In the report titled ‘Education and training for drivers of assisted and automated vehicles’ the authors looked at the SAE’s first four levels of automation. Systems at levels zero, one and two include technologies that support the 44
ROADS AUGUST 2020
driver (who is still in control) such as autonomous emergency braking (level 0), adaptive cruise control (level 1) and adaptive cruise control and lane centring operating at the same time (Level 2). Level three vehicles include more automated driving features , this means that in some conditions the car can automatically perform the total driving task, until the driver has to take back control of the vehicle. The authors found drivers are unlikely to possess the required skill to safely operate a vehicle at some at some of these levels of autonomy. These were elements such as knowledge of the safety benefits, behaviours needed to operate the systems, vigilance of the driving environment and understanding of the different operating modes of the automation. Dr. Michael Regan, Professor of Human Factors in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of New South Wales, in Sydney, drew a parallel between autonomous vehicles on the road and autonomy in the aviation industry. “There evidence in aviation that pilot training in the use of automated systems has improved the safety of the aircraft, we can look at the experience of pilots here to inform education and training practices for the vehicle industry,” Prof. Regan says. Commissioner of the report John Wall, Austroads Program Manager Future Vehicles & Technology, agrees saying aircraft are a lot safer than they were three or four decades ago. “Pilots needed to understand the information provided from the technology and then understand where there is
a disconnect between what they are observing as an experienced pilot versus what the machine or computer is telling them,” Mr. Wall says. He says the automotive industry will soon need to start talking about traditional driving skills compared to monitoring skills, which is the ability of the driver to monitor information coming from automated systems. Some of the knowledge and skill shortage areas identified in the report were associated with technologies such as, autonomous emergency braking, speed assistance systems and lane support systems. Most of these features are more common in newer cars in Australia and are making a difference to the safety of everyday drivers. “I think the important point is that drivers know what driving with these systems involves and what they need to do to be in proper control of current generation vehicles. To be in proper control of vehicles in the future will become a different matter as vehicles become increasingly automated,” Prof. Regan says. “Ultimately these technologies are safety systems and we want to make sure drivers use the systems in the right way, to maximise their safety benefits.” Mr. Wall says the report indicates that drivers are going to need these knowledge and skill sets into the future, so we need to start preparing drivers for that now. “The report’s first recommendation is that state road agencies think about an education or promotion piece around the new technology,” he says. “Autonomous systems are likely to bring huge road safety benefits to the
