Making Automated Mobility Safe

Making Automated Mobility Safe

Autonomous vehicles are still working their way into the modern automotive marketplace. However, they are growing more common each year. Many agree, this is an innovative change, and it’s estimated that there will be more autonomous vehicles on the road in the coming years. 

According to experts, the growth in the presence of autonomous vehicles will help reduce accidents by up to 90 percent. This reduction can save up to 30,000 lives each year.

The question is, what is it that makes autonomous vehicles so much safer? Also, what new safety features have been implemented in these tech-forward vehicles? If you, like others, have similar questions, the answers you are looking for are found here. 

Emergency Braking

This is a feature found in many passenger vehicles, even those that don’t feature self-driving abilities. The vehicle uses cameras to determine the distance between itself and the surrounding traffic and engages the brakes if there is a possibility of a collision. The system may also include warning systems to alert drivers if a collision is imminent.

Lane Control

The cameras mentioned above also ensure that autonomous vehicles don’t depart from the assigned lane unnecessarily. The continuous steering feature ensures that the car remains centered in the proper lane. 

Lane control capabilities are another safety feature implemented in many passenger models, even those lacking autopilot. The cameras are programmed to read lane markings and to keep the vehicle going where it’s supposed to while providing warnings if it drifts out of the proper lane. 

Making Automated Mobility Safe

Upgraded Windshields

The Tesla Model 3 was the first part-autonomous car to feature an upgraded windshield. Not only does the brand (Tesla) make the glass for the windshield in-house, it’s also designed at a lighter weight, providing better insulation and increased durability compared to traditional auto glass.

For autonomous vehicles, windshields are much more than safety features. The upgraded window glass makes it possible to include more integrated hardware and software. It’s believed it may eventually eliminate the need for more traditional safety equipment, such as rearview and side mirrors. 

Cross Car Communication

Beyond popular Disney movies, most vehicles don’t talk to each other. However, this is another feature that may be changing as autonomous vehicles grow in popularity. For example, the autopilot feature offered by Tesla relies on communication between other Tesla vehicles to become better and safer.

If one vehicle encounters poor driving conditions, traffic, or another hazard, it transmits that information via the cloud. The information is then disseminated to other vehicles in the network so they can determine how to react if the same situation is encountered. 

Currently, this is a feature only available on standard Tesla models; however, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is to make this car-to-car communication a standard feature on all makes and models. 

In the European Union, the Car-to-Car communication is pushed for example by a C-Roads platform, which is a joint initiative of European Member States and road operators for testing and implementing C-ITS services in light of cross-border harmonisation and interoperability. TeskaLabs participates in a C-Roads Czech Republic deployment as a supplier of cybersecurity technologies.

Proceed with Caution

While the growth of autonomous vehicles on the roads is continuing to grow, it has raised questions and concerns among both experts and drivers. While they are built with additional safety features (as mentioned above), there’s still a risk of accidents. 

As self-driving cars grow in popularity, the possibility of them being sold used also grows. As with buying any used vehicle, before purchasing a used autonomous vehicle, research must be done, including a search on Vincheck.info to ensure there’s no information that may indicate a problem with the vehicle. 

While this is true, it will not stop the evolution and appearance of these vehicles on the road, as the technology is spreading and becoming more mainstream with each passing year. It will be up to the owners to ensure what they are buying features the safety elements needed.

Making Automated Mobility Safe

Are you interested in security for connected vehicles? Visit this page

About the Author

Wendy Dessler

Wendy is a super-connector who helps businesses find their audience online through outreach, partnerships, and networking. She frequently writes about the latest advancements in digital marketing and focuses her efforts on developing customized blogger outreach plans depending on the industry and competition.




You Might Be Interested in Reading These Articles

EV Charging Station security demonstrator

TeskaLabs is proud to announce the availability of EV Charging Station security demonstrator. This is a result of our research project. The Meili project was part of the UK Government and its partners Zenzic and InnovateUK £1.2 million programme to develop a cohesive understanding of the challenges and potential solutions to addressing digital resilience and cyber security within Connected and Automated Mobility.

Continue reading ...

automotive c-its v2x

Published on July 15, 2020

Snap to It: Mobile Secure Gateway Is In Your Future

The enterprise world is changing. In the past, enterprises built their IT infrastructure as isolated data fortresses and did everything they could to prevent outsiders from accessing their data. But now they need to open that fortress to allow communication via mobile technologies. And this hole is where hackers strike.

Continue reading ...

musing security

Published on July 07, 2015

Security Researcher Filip Chytry: Online Security Is an Unattractive Topic - until People Get Hacked

I studied at Applied Cybernetics school and worked on various fields: robotics, networks and programming. There I got curious about security and became increasingly passionate about the industry, trying to learn more about cyber crime and attempting to hack into my classmates‘ computers for fun.

Continue reading ...

interview security

Published on August 20, 2015