Will Car Bullying Make Our Roads Like A School Playground

As a person who enjoys the pleasure of driving, I have followed the progress of the driverless car with both interest and a little trepidation.

The first time many of us would have thought about the possibility of a driverless car was from watching science fiction films. I remember seeing the iconic Johnny Cab in Total Recall and thinking how dystopic [sic.] it all seemed.

The idea of being driven by a robot. Preposterous.

Let’s move on, not a few hundred years but a few decades and the press’ column inches are filled with impending driverless cars that are soon to be on our roads.

I have written numerous times on my websites about how driverless cars are going to effect both the legal system and the insurance industry, but one thing that I never thought would be so prevalent is the relationship between the driverless car and those cars actually being driven by humans.

Over the past couple of weeks, the media has started reporting on how Volvo has decided to have its first driverless cars “un marked” to avoid them being bullied by other car drivers.

Volvo’s fear is that we mere mortal drivers will drive more aggressively around them and be tempted to “take them on” in some kind of school playground bullying campaign.

I would have hoped that Volvo may have dignified the British driver with a little more common sense, as their 100 cars self driving cars are due to be launched on our roads in 2018.

I think our motorists have enough to deal with on busy British roads, with other cars, huge lorries, cyclists and pedestrians.

The self driving car manufacturers may well find that harassing their precious technological offspring come way down on our daily to do lists.

A senior technical leader at Volvo, Erik Coelingh stated: “I’m pretty sure that people will challenge them if they are marked by doing really harsh braking in front of a self-driving car or putting themselves in the way.”

Okay, there are a few idiots on our roads, as we all know, who do stupid things and put other road users at risk however, I don’t see that 100 Volvo cars are going to increase that problem.

The main concern I have is not the suggested bullying, but that this dramatic new technology is going onto our roads unidentified.

I for one want the driverless cars of any manufacture to be identified so that I can be extra aware that a car around me is not being driven by a human being.

I am all for embracing technology however, if the driverless car reacts in an unusual way in traffic then the consequences could be catastrophic.

If I am driving, cycling or tyring to cross the road as a pedestrian I want to know if the car near me is being driven by a person or by technology alone.

And it is not just other drivers that are seen as potential bullies for driverless cars. A report was published on 26 October 2016, by Adam Millard-Bell, an assistant professor at the University of California stating that pedestrians may well bully driverless cars also.

The premise behind the report is that current pedestrians know that a car is driven by a human being and as such is cautious when walking through traffic or crossing the road.

With driverless technology, the thought is that as the self drive car is risk averse then there may be little fear or sense of self preservation when walking out in front of such a vehicle. The pedestrian view recorded in the report is that the car will just stop and give way to the person on foot.

A nice idea in principle. However, if that is the case then why would any pedestrian wait before crossing the road and therefore causing 2 issues.

The first is that technology can fail and a person being mowed down by a driverless car will surely have the same effect as a person being mowed down by a driven car.

The second is that of congestion. If people are crossing the road by walking out with complete disregard, this would cause a constant slowing of traffic and therefore dramatically increase congestion in busy areas.

Progress? Maybe not.

In his report, Millard-Bell stated of pedestrians: “They merely need to act unpredictably or step into the street to force the risk-averse car to slow down. From the point of view of a passenger in an automated car, it would be like driving down a street filled with unaccompanied five-year-old children.”

But even so, at the start of this new technology onto our roads, surely the first thought for the manufacturers is the safety of the current road users.

Cars and other vehicles are dangerous things and when they come into contact with people the outcome can be catastrophic.

In these early days I think that manufacturers should be more focussed on warning us of their driverless technology than disguising it.

Let me know that making eye contact with the person in the car may have no purpose and I will probably cross after the driverless car has gone past.

I am uneasy about this technological change into how our roads will function. I strongly believe that the best way to control a vehicle is by a human being at the controls.

I have much more faith in human reactions than those of a micro chip.

Sources:

Pedestrians, autonomous vehicles and cities – Adam Millard-Bell, 2017

Self-driving cars doomed to be bullied by pedestrians – The Register

First self-driving cars will be unmarked to hide from road bullies – The Times

About Nick Freeman

Nick Freeman is probably the best known solicitor practising in the country today.

He has been dubbed "Mr Loophole" by the press owing to his vast technical knowledge of motoring law matters and his ability to successfully challenge the prosecution over procedural irregularities.

Nick is widely known for his celebrity client list and high profile criminal defence cases.

Nick is the head of Freeman & Co. Solicitors and although based in Manchester, represents defendants in motoring and criminal cases all over the country.

After graduating from Chester Law School in 1979, Nick started his career as a prosecuting solicitor for Greater Manchester Police.

Nick soon became known for his technical legal abilities and robust court room style and he was soon recruited into private practice by the highly respected solicitors firm of Burton & Co. He was soon to be made a partner at the practice but in 1999 he decided to start his own firm following which Freeman & Co. was formed.

Owing to Nick's meticulous case preparation and technical legal skill he soon made Freeman & Co. one of the most respected and sought after criminal solicitors firms in the country.

Despite the celebrity client list and media attention, Nick and Freeman & Co. have built their practice on representing ordinary members of the public with the same tenacity as those more high profile cases that are reported in the press and on TV.

Outside of his professional practice Nick is a regular expert guest on TV and radio and is well regarded as an expert legal commentator. He is an ardent supporter of defendant anonymity in sex cases.

In recent times his credits have included Tonight With Trevor MacDonald, Close Up North West, Channel 4 News, BBC Radio 4 and BBC Radio 5 Live to name but a few. He also appears regularly on Sky News, BBC News 24 and Legal Eagles on ITV's This Morning. Nick is a regular legal commentator for the Sunday Times.

A father of 2 children Nick is a keen golfer with a 2.9 handicap and enjoys vigorous exercise with his Staffordshire Bull Terrier.

Contacting Nick Freeman

For professional matters and representation Nick can be contacted through Freeman & Co. on 0161 236 7007 or you can send him a confidential email by clicking here.

If you would like to contact Nick for a media appearance or legal comment please call David Simister on 0845 389 26 26.