“Different road users must be able to cohabit with self-driving vehicles to ensure everybody’s safety.” THE GUEST — MARC AMBLARD Founding Partner & Managing Director, Orsay Consulting in San Francisco Today, these vehicles will mainly be used as part of fleets of private hire vehicles that belong to companies including Waymo, a subsidiary of the Alphabet Group, and Zoox, an Amazon subsidiary. Initially, the public was very critical when these vehicles were put on the road, due to a lack of information and fears about their safety. Today, they are an integral part of the urban environment: Waymo now provides more than 150,000 paid trips every week, compared to just 50,000 last June. This is because of significant communication campaigns by the relevant companies, featuring independent studies emphasizing the vehicles’ safety performance. This has improved the public’s acceptance and perception of these vehicles. What does the future hold for self-driving vehicles? M. A. The main challenge lies in the roll-out of these vehicles. However, increasing the number of self-driving vehicles in cities and the number of cities in which they can be driven also increases the risk of incidents. Manufacturers must therefore improve safety and reliability. Different road users must be able to cohabit with self-driving vehicles to ensure everybody’s safety. How safe are self-driving vehicles today? Marc Amblard. The safety of self-driving vehicles is relatively high. Solutions have been developed to ensure safety at every level of the vehicle, from environment perception using sensors, including radar, to control of vehicle movements. It is interesting to note that, although the number of self-driving vehicles is still very low, with some 2,500 to 3,000 cars on the roads globally, they have already driven tens of millions of kilometers. All the data collected on these journeys is used to continually improve system safety. What fundamental differences are there between the safety of a self-driving vehicle and a traditional vehicle? M. A. I see two main differences. The first is that self-driving vehicles are designed and authorized to be driven in very specific conditions, in specific areas that have been mapped many times. The second is that, thanks to existing technologies, self-driving vehicles have 360° vision. They can interpret any activity around them, calculate the probability of pedestrian reactions, and therefore optimize their own route. We have reached a level of technological complexity that goes beyond what humans are capable of doing. In the United States, what does the public think of self-driving vehicles on the road? M. A. Self-driving vehicles are currently on the road in three cities: San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Phoenix. In 2025, they will be rolled out in Atlanta, Austin, and Las Vegas. Scan to read Orsay Consulting’s newsletter.
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