While scouring the PopSci front page for inspiration I came across this story about the impending test-drive of a modified Ford Escape for blind drivers. While not slated to occur until next year, the prospect of a car that allows the blind community access to the possibility of driving is nothing short of incredible. But what interests me more is what these tests can serendipitously discover for current drivers who don’t have the excuse of being blind, but drive as though they can’t see much at all.
There are many perils involved with being a driver and it’s no small miracle that I was ever able to get over my fear of being in a car and learn to drive at all. My fear was born of a logical conundrum: I couldn’t reconcile the fact that even if I was in a car with the best driver in the world, I could still be maimed or killed by the recklessness of another driver in a different vehicle. It didn’t seem right or fair that my skill, awareness and competency as a driver could all be nullified by someone’s lack thereof.
Nowadays, although my fear has abated for the most part, I’m still a moody driver. A calm or happy disposition can instantly be converted to white-hot rage courtesy of another driver’s poor motoring skills. Speeding, drink driving and texting drivers are all causes for concern, but I’m infinitely more upset by the everyday lack of attention, focus and understanding of road rules by contemporary motorists who I’m forced to share the road with. And this is where I see hope for bad drivers to learn from the blind test-drive.
There are already vehicles that sport various ways to make driving safer (read: less likelihood of other drivers damaging my car or person), such as parking sensors and even dash-mounted rear view cameras. The vehicle that’s set to be used for the blind test-drive is self-driving and makes use of various sensors to avoid objects and read traffic. The system also employs a couple of different interfaces, with ‘DriveGrip’ being my personal favourite as it makes use of vibrating gloves that let the driver know where and when to take a turn.
How many current poor drivers could be benefited by the use of such technology? More importantly, how much could good drivers benefit from poor drivers having access to such technology? Perhaps a system could be introduced where drivers can submit the registration details of poor drivers and if the poor driver receives enough public complaints, they’re forced to adopt self-driving modifications to their vehicle at the threat of losing their licences.
I imagine that the driving world would be a much happier place if we didn’t have to worry about the bad eggs causing havoc on our roads. What say you all?
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I really don’t like the idea of this. I don’t mind the idea of a self driving car, and think that that should be what they are purusing, rather than relying on a blind person to make the turn. What if there is a person crossing the road, it would then rely on the car to make the Driver aware unequivocally of the fact in time for them to be able to break while at the same time telling them what kind of incoming traffic is heading their way, what avenues of escape are open to them shuold they need to get out of the way etc. Not only that but can a car tell you when there is a child behind a car? I may be able to see their feet and can therefore anticipate that the child may run out. I can also anticipate that if children are playing hand ball by the side of the road that the ball may come out onto the road. A car may be able to see these kind of obstacles if they are directly ahead, but it cannot anticipate which is the only way you can can avoid certain types of accidents. A car cannot tell you what your senses already have, which is that a person in the corner of your eye has kicked a ball and that the flash of red you saw through the window of a parked car was a child rushing to get said ball. All it can tell you is that a child has suddenly appeared 10 metres in front of you which is not enough time to stop.
Oh my, yes. I often wish in vain that I am the only one allowed to drive on the road, because everyone else is clearly incompetent. It doesn’t seem to matter how many mirrors, or sensors they have, they simply do not pay attention. I’ve had enough cars (and worse, trucks) try to pull into my lane without even so much as a glance over their shoulder to realise they’re about to plow into me.
I suspect if many motorists were subjected to driving tests now… as opposed to the tests they had to take 20-30 years ago… they would struggle to pass. Yes, there are a lot of P-plater accidents on the road, but I think those are caused by boys for whom the novelty of driving has not yet worn off. These days it requires a lot of time and effort to even qualify for a driving test, and then the test itself is very strict. I seriously doubt most ‘experienced’ drivers would satisfy the requirements for being a safe driver.
Maybe that is the way to filter out the bad drivers? Just have driving tests for everyone, across the board. I’m sure that’ll be a popular idea…
@ Dude from Sydney - I have my reservations about how the blind self-driving car testing will pan out as sight plays a crucial part in driver awareness. I am, however, very interested to see how it pans out. What do you think about the application of the technology to poor drivers though?
@ Muffin - I know the feeling. Driving is a rather stressful thing for me a lot of the time. I do think that there should be some way of doing refresher courses, or a championed system whereby a certain amount of reports from other drivers about a specific driver resulted in the poor driver having to be reviewed (at their own expense). I remember being told once about an old work colleague of mine who believed that the right lane of a highway was for “mature drivers” and they were allowed to do whatever speed they desired (including travelling at under the speed limit). While I laughed when I first heard it, it’s a scary notion to think about all of the possible misconceptions that are out there.
trains, bus, walk ftw
@newb - As someone who frequently has to rely on public transport… no… just no. It’s terrible. Unreliable. Smelly. Crowded. Always late. Just… no.