We are already used to seeing constant innovations in cars that make your driving easier. But knowing when autonomous cars will become an absolute reality is something difficult to specify.

Small evolutions towards the autonomous car

First, it was little things that had a big impact on comfort and safety. Things began to be installed in your cars such as the windshield wipers being activated by the rain without your intervention. It also increases their rate with greater intensity of rain. The lights changed by themselves due to ambient light or if a car came from the front. Or if the wheels were damage they self-repaired and inflated in the event of a puncture.

From there we went to cars that could park alone, slow down depending on the distance to other vehicles. Or decide when to accelerate or when to brake, depending on an imminent risk.

What is an autonomous car?

The autonomous car, however, is something that still has some obstacles to overcome and the truly autonomous car will still take some time to become present.

In theory, it is, at its highest level, a vehicle capable of circulating without any type of human intervention except setting the destination of each journey. Otherwise, all driving decisions and all actions would dispense with human intervention.

It is, therefore, a momentous leap in the evolution of the automobile, the car of the futures are available at auto for trade.

Levels of autonomy

Autonomy is not absolute. The SAE, Society of Automotive Engineers, define up to six levels of autonomy. Starting at a zero level which, logically, is characterized by not having any type of autonomous system.

From this level, another five levels are developed, corresponding to different degrees of automation. That is ranging from a level 1 that assumes mere assistance to the driver in acceleration and braking, to a level 5. It would represent the ability to do without absolutely of a driver, eliminating the steering wheel and its driving position and dedicating itself only to the passengers.

In between, there are a whole series of variants that include the control of the direction or the taking of decisions of diverse nature. But that does not dispense with the presence of the manual controls.

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Where is the sector going?

Although the sector had taken a clear definition of the investigation and staging of autonomous cars. The experiments carried out in real conditions such as the one carried out in Tempe, Arizona. Where a woman was seriously run over by one of these vehicles, put in serious doubts if one day we will see cars without a driver and with a degree of total autonomy.

The truth is that doubts are also raised from certain legal aspects. Because if the driver is dispensed with, whose responsibility is it in the event of an accident?

From a car insurance point of view, fully automated driving would be magnificent. But it also involves security risks that seem unapproachable. So, apart from certain experiments, it seems clear that the future of 100% autonomous cars is still far away.