Problems With Automotive Autonomous Reliance

SEE ALSO: Additional Autonomous Vehicle Stories and Additional Commentary

Special To The Auto Channel
By Bernard Faller
Louisville, KY

In the past few years, two highly automated and properly functioning airliners crashed, the Air France plane in the Atlantic and the Colgan Air plane in Buffalo.

 The most basic of hands-on pilot training involves the recovery of aircraft that have become upset due to weather or any other reason.  

When automation entered the cockpit, accident rates declined as experienced pilots were aided by sensors, warnings and eventually automated corrective features built into the controls.

 But today’s airline pilots transitioned from hand flown planes to highly automated aircraft early in their flying careers.  And as we see from time to time, they lack some basic flying skills as their roles changed from pilots to systems monitors, with resultant accidents that never would have occurred years ago to any pilot with average flying skills.      

We are now entering the age of sensors, warnings and the beginnings of automated corrective features built into the most recently designed cars, SUVs and light trucks.

 I would expect initial accident rates to decline as experienced drivers get additional driving aids.  But what is going to happen when today’s youngsters only experience is driving vehicles which do much of the thinking, scanning and corrective measures for the driver?  

Will they be alert and skilled enough to handle a situation where the automated system gets confused at 70 mph, or just disconnects?    

 It might be prudent to keep young drivers away from cars with all of these whiz bang features until his or her driving skills reach a high level.

 For the rest of us, consider turning them off to the extent possible from time to time so our driving skills do not erode, as happened to the above pilots.