Measuring Autonomous Vehicle Safety

By: Ashley Wicks

As self-driving technology continues to develop, a common concern among developers, the government, and the public is the safety of these autonomous vehicles, often defined as their ability to avoid collisions with pedestrians, cars, or anything else. But how can we really be sure that a self-driving car is safe?

One heuristic often used to compare the safety of vehicles produced by different companies is the number of test miles driven. But this is not the whole story. In a recent article from Wired, Waymo spokesperson Liz Markman points out that “It’s not just about racking up number of miles, but the quality and challenges presented within those miles that make them valuable.” That is to say, if you’ve driven the same ten miles 100 times, that is not as thorough a test of safety as driving 1000 different miles, each presenting unique situations and challenges.

So, how can we ensure the safety of autonomous vehicles? A recent report funded by Uber outlines a new framework for measuring safety and testing which is more transparent and thorough. However, there are still problems with this approach. Companies are often reluctant to reveal information or be transparent about their technology in any way, as they tend to prioritize protecting intellectual property. Getting key players to agree on uniform safety standards will also be difficult.

Perhaps we will have to wait for federal or international governing organizations to get involved before we have any real hope of standardizing and regulating safety procedures for self-driving vehicles. It is likely in the best interest of public safety for this to happen sooner than later.