Does AI help or hinder safe driving?

How is AI used in cars?

In most cars on the road today, there will be some form of built in satnav or navigational system, which makes it the most commonly used AI in vehicles. Within these navigational systems, drivers can also be told other things such as how quickly traffic is moving on certain roads, or the speed limit of the area they are driving in.

As well as navigational systems, many cars now have sensors to assist with things like parking or to judge distances between vehicles while driving, which relies on artificial intelligence to locate hazards.

Benefits of AI technology in vehicles

Artificial intelligence use in vehicles has provided safety features that have undoubtedly saved lives such as automatic emergency braking. It has also offered millions of drivers several routes to the same destination to suit their needs such as ‘avoid motorway’ options in some navigation apps.

Artificial intelligence in vehicles has also enabled more drivers with physical disabilities more freedom with assisted driving.

The use of artificial intelligence has become increasingly convenient within vehicles; however, it is not without its faults.

Problems caused by AI technology in vehicles

We found that more than one in five people (41.51%) missed a turn when using a navigational app. Missing turns can cause frustration and rerouting within navigation apps can mean longer travel times.

Our research also revealed that the routes provided by AI within navigation apps may not be the most efficient as nearly 1 in 4 (24.53%) Scots said they drove a longer route than needed by following AI such as maps and driving assistance.

Longer journeys or rerouted journeys cause frustration and road rage. These kinds of feelings on the road could lead to reckless driving causing collisions. To minimise this sort of risk, drivers could look at these navigational apps and planned routes prior to a journey so they have a better understanding of the drive before starting. This limits the sense of dependency on AI while driving.

Another problem with AI is that is does not always present correct information. Our research found that more than 1 in 10 Scottish drivers drove over the speed limit based on the information presented to them by navigational apps. Further to this, nearly 5% (4.72%) received a speeding ticket because they stuck to an incorrect speed limited shown by AI within a navigational app.

Collisions due to speeding can be avoided most of the time and yet our research revealed that nearly 65% (64.15%) of those surveyed believed it was a primary cause of road collisions.

Adhering to speed limits not only helps prevent collisions and also allow for distance gaps between vehicles, the bigger the gap the more time and space you have to react.

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If you or a loved one have been injured in a road collision, as a pedestrian, passenger, or driver, we can help. Contact us online today.