Self-Driving Cars Will Make American Roads Safer, Less Congested, Officials Say

Autonomous vehicles will make American roads safer and less congested, government officials, industry representatives and academics said Tuesday. Speaking at an event in Washington hosted by Arizona State University, U.S. Chamber of Commerce Assistant Policy Counsel-Chamber Technology Engagement Center Jordan Crenshaw said 94 percent of motor vehicle accidents are caused by human error. Maricopa Association of Governments Transportation Director Eric Anderson said crashes undercut the capacity of the Phoenix area’s transportation system. Anderson said he began “drinking the Kool-Aid” two years ago and is excited about the safety and infrastructure benefits of autonomous vehicles. Phoenix can reduce its need for roadway capacity expansion by planning for the technology, he said.

Alphabet affiliate Waymo plans to launch the first fleet of autonomous ride-hail vehicles this year in the Phoenix area. Vice President-Public Policy and Government Affairs Tekedra Mawakana fielded questions about the fleet’s ability to adapt to local traffic flow. Waymo’s vehicles, which include Chrysler Pacifica minivans, have the 360-degree viewing capacity to analyze traffic in a 300-yard radius. The technology is set on the cautious side, she said, and while it may be frustrating for surrounding drivers, the vehicles will ultimately follow all local traffic laws, with an emphasis on safe maneuvers over riskier, quicker maneuvers. With constant feedback from occupants and the surrounding community, she said the company expects the fleet to get smarter. Waymo has tested far-ranging scenarios, from objects falling out of trees to pedestrians who fall and can’t get up.

ASU President Michael Crow compared the emergence of autonomous vehicles to the invention of the kayak and its impact on native populations, calling technology the “inevitable expression of human beings” enhancing their lives. The autonomous systems will free people from being saddled with physical and repetitious activities like driving, Crow said. He acknowledged the potential impact on those who work as drivers, saying the question will be what creative minds do when people are “free from drudgery.” This is the intersection of three technologies -- autonomous vehicles, ride-hailing and electric automobiles, said ASU Senior Fellow Grady Gammage.

With or without autonomous vehicles, Lyft’s vision has been to reduce U.S. reliance on single-occupant vehicles, since 70 percent of cars on the road carry only one passenger, said Senior Director-Global Public Policy Robert Grant. The company gives about 11 million rides in the U.S. each week, and 40 percent of those are shared, which Grant said exemplifies changing behavior. That trend should continue, with increased urbanization and the lack of reliable mass transit, he said.

Pittsburgh Department of Mobility and Infrastructure Director Karina Ricks said 60 percent of the city’s population has “interacted” with autonomous vehicles, and more than half have favorable views of driverless cars over human-driven vehicles. The cycling community showed good support for autonomous vehicles in particular, she said. Uber has been testing self-driving cars there.