By Carrie Cox
Of all the handbrakes slowing development of autonomous driving technology in Australia, the most significant may be a deeply human one: trust.
Research undertaken by The University of Western Australia is exploring the complex relationship between public trust and the viability of a ‘smart city’ future where autonomous vehicles are part of a data-driven infrastructure. It’s a future that many predicted would already be here by now, or at least well on its way. Instead, Australia still sits a long way behind other countries when it comes to AV research and development.
Transport researcher and Head of the Department of Management and Organisations at the UWA Business School, Associate Professor Doina Olaru, says Australians are not just suspicious about driverless vehicles themselves but also the many other essential components of an autonomous transport ecosystem.
“It’s trust in the telecommunications industry to provide robust and reliable connectivity for vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication, trust in the government doing the right thing in terms of legislation, regulation and safety, trust in insurance companies to develop fair and comprehensive policies that address the unique aspects of autonomous vehicles, trust in not just one machine but the whole integrated system,” Associate Professor Olaru explains.
“The true benefits of autonomous vehicle technology can only be realised when the vehicles are integrated with the real world – traffic, pedestrian, cyclists – and people worry about the reliability of communications systems, cybersecurity measures and the possibility of hacking and also whether vehicle data is being shared and analysed with the right stakeholders. It’s not only about the car itself.
“One thing that we found fascinating in our research is that many people would have enough trust to ride in an (autonomous) machine without hesitation, but they would think twice if it was their loved one. Many of our respondents were saying yep, I don’t have a problem, I’m excited about the technology and I would like to try it, but I’m not sure I would leave my kids to be driven to school or other activities by themselves. And because this technology is supposed to improve access for people who can’t travel independently, that element of the trust issue adds another layer of complexity to the way forward.”
Accidents dent trust in safety
Also compounding trust, not only in Australia, are the few high-profile accidents reported in places blazing the AV trail. In San Francisco in August 2023, a fire truck abruptly stopped on its way to an emergency when a self-driving taxi didn’t yield to the truck and crashed into its side. In California in November, a pedestrian was critically injured after being dragged under an autonomous vehicle for six metres. The manufacturer, General Motors’ Cruise autonomous vehicle unit, immediately withdrew all 950 AV cars in its fleet to “update software”.
Many people would have enough trust to ride in an (autonomous) machine without hesitation, but they would think twice if it was their loved one.
Associate Professor Doina Olaru, Head of the Department of Management and Organisations, UWA Business School.
But Associate Professor Olaru, who is also a traffic engineer and a believer in driverless technology and ‘smart city’ possibilities, says the evidence is already clear that AV cars are potentially much safer than those controlled by humans. “It’s easier and more sensational for the media to talk about an accident involving an autonomous vehicle than one involving a drunk driver or a person texting while driving,” she says.
“What level of risk one is prepared to accept varies greatly and is a matter of personal choice. It’s unlikely that there will be a threshold of risk universally accepted by everyone in society, but I think it would be unfair not to acknowledge the benefits for traffic in terms of safety that these machines can bring. When you compare their reliable response to the same stimuli as human-driven cars, their reaction time, their ability to ‘see’ and perceive their surroundings in 360 degrees and sense the environment in ways that humans simply can’t – this technology makes sense. Autonomous vehicles offer a level of environmental awareness and responsiveness that human drivers simply cannot match.
“In terms of what’s at stake, it’s similar to performing surgery with robots using autonomous missiles in defence systems. Each of them represents a significant shift towards trusting sophisticated technology in situations where precision, reliability and safety are key.”
Acceptance through greater exposure
In cities around the world where trust in driverless vehicles is significantly higher than in Australia, the difference has been exposure to the technology through major experiments and real-world trials. While autonomous trucks, cars, buses, motorcycles and shuttles have been tested in all Australian states since 2012, the trials have been small-scale with exacting requirements and limitations.
“Our research shows that people who have had the exposure to this technology and who have a better understanding of the capabilities and limitations are more likely to trust it,” Associate Professor Olaru says. “Trust means accepting to be vulnerable but understanding what the consequences of that vulnerability may be.
“But the possibility for this exposure and understanding in Australia is very nascent. The testing here has been very much a case of ‘show-and-tell’ exercises to showcase potential capabilities, but they should not be mistaken for comprehensive testing in real traffic conditions. You might have a vehicle operating in a dedicated lane at a maximum of 14kph – you can run faster than the car. It’s nothing like a real-world driving situation.
“It’s hard to imagine what technology can do unless you allow the chance for the technology to be gradually embedded into real traffic conditions and people can see what happens amidst the complexities and unpredictability of actual road scenarios. Trust is built through reciprocity and experience. You build it up over time.”
Taking the next big leap
It is only by moving to the next development trajectory – beyond pre-mapped routes and pre-mapped obstacles – that autonomous vehicles can begin learning from sensing and interacting with the environment, Associate Professor Olaru says. “That’s when the machines themselves are learning without any particular route or anything pre-designed; they are simply discovering their environment and reacting accordingly. It’s a completely different way of using them to what we have been doing in Australia. But the field is rapidly evolving and I look forward to trials progressing towards fully dynamic and responsive systems.”
Interestingly, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese himself said of driverless cars back in 2018: “Driverless cars are not science fiction. They are coming. Hundreds of trial vehicles are already on the road around the world, particularly in the United States and Europe, but also in Australia. With change already beckoning, governments must think hard now about what changes, if any, need to be considered with regard to regulations in areas like liability, insurance and, most importantly, public safety. In Australia, we are not doing enough to face such challenges.”
There may well be a chicken-and-egg situation happening in this country, with the public waiting for the government to drive change at the same time the government is waiting for public support to grow. Regardless, Associate Professor Olaru says it’s not unusual for Australians to take a more risk-averse, contemplative approach to new technology.
“In terms of the readiness index for autonomous technology, Australia was ranked at 14 three years ago and I don’t think we’ve moved at all since then,” she says. “In Australia, we are more regulators rather than innovators and there is very little activity in terms of facilitating projects for effective participation.
“Other countries have mitigated distrust by investing a lot in research and development. They are spending billions, we are spending millions. And as far as governments go, it’s okay to start small, but you have to continue the journey.”
Read the full issue of the Winter 2024 edition of Uniview [Accessible PDF 12MB]