In a recently surfaced video, the family is seen inside the Li Auto L9 as the car is driving on a highway, and it appears that the driver is dozing off as is the child. They have uploaded a 19-second video where the camera focuses on a child sleeping in the passenger seat before the driver’s seat, where the driver looks sleepy as well. This is creating doubts as to the extent to which drivers have entrusted self-driving technology to take over their cars.
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Trust in Autonomous Technology
Since I have been following the development of autonomous driving cars or self-driving cars, this video is a wake-up call to people that the technology is good but not perfect. As far as safety is concerned, the Li Auto L9 has a Driver Monitoring System (DMS) that is used to detect drowsiness. However, the driver in the video seems to ignore all these measures, proposing either a flaw in the system or negligence of the driver.
It is even possible that this sight is fabricated—for some, it can be a stunt to draw attention as opposed to an actual threat. It is an important point that deserves attention: too many businesses rely on one or the other form of autonomous system. In other words, such systems are supposed to make the work of drivers easier, not to result in scenarios such as expressing fatigue and going to sleep on the wheels. My worry is that this may create the wrong impression that self-driving cars have the capability of eradicating human attentiveness.
The Reality of Autonomous Capabilities
News websites have seen successful demonstrations such as Inside China Auto by YouTube, which, however, has some shortcomings. It is relatively good to note how this car performs well in handling various road surfaces. But they are not so intelligent that they can work completely on their own and hence there exists a system called supervised autonomy.
Level 2 autonomous systems are still the systems that require drivers’ attention and are present in such cars as Tesla’s Full Self-Driving and Ford’s BlueCruise. The purpose here is to support the driver in his activities instead of replacing him. However, if the driver in the video is actually asleep, then it indicates a gross misunderstanding of how such systems should operate.
Personal Reflection
It raises the question of whether some people can entertain the self-conception of being a passenger in a self-driving car and feel comfortable enough to fall asleep. This video was specially made to alert the drivers to be alert and be prepared to take control of the car at any time. Self-driving technology cannot yet be considered a subpersonality in the legal sense, but it is a promising advancement.
End Note
As we talk about using more autonomous vehicles, there is a need to ensure that people understand their strengths as well as their weaknesses. As most people cannot compromise on safety, it is crucial to realize that they need a human counterpart to the machine. As this video has shown us, let us always remember to be safe at all costs, as the value of our safety is far more important than any convenience we may gain.
