Autopilot, engage
By Steve Herring
Published in News on March 15, 2018 5:50 AM
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News-Argus/STEVE HERRING
Kevin Lacy, N.C. DOT traffic engineer, discusses autonomous cars at Wednesday's Wayne County Chamber of Commerce's Hot Topics luncheon at the Goldsboro Event Center.
Very few hands went up when state Department of Transportation traffic engineer Kevin Lacy asked the audience who was ready to ride in an autonomous vehicle.
Even fewer hands went up when he asked who would fly in an autonomous drone.
Once limited to the realm of science fiction, autonomous -- self-driving -- vehicles are in the near future, and their development is raising a number of challenges for the DOT and public, he said.
Some vehicles already have advanced technology such as self-braking and lane control, he said.
But some people turn off the lane control because they don't like being told they can't stay in their lane, Lacy said.
Children who grew up with technology will be ready for the vehicles, he said.
"If you have a VCR at home flashing 12 o'clock, then you are probably not interested in one of these cars," Lacy said.
The vehicles also will herald numerous social and cultural challenges as well, Lacy told the audience gathered Wednesday for the Wayne County Chamber of Commerce Hot Topics luncheon at the Goldsboro Event Center.
For example, it is not against the law to be drunk while riding in a car, but is if you are driving, he said.
But if it is an autonomous vehicle, can a person be charged with driving while impaired, he said.
"Are we ready for an 80,000-pound truck going down the road by itself with no driver?" he said.
Or is a company willing to use a truck to haul its valuable product without a driver to be in charge, he said.
There is a concern as well as to protecting the vehicles so that their computers cannot be hacked, he said.
Also, what kind of services will the DOT need to provide that it is not providing today, he said.
Not only is it expensive to build the infrastructure, there is the cost of maintaining it, he said.
Then there is the question of how fast it would have to be changed out as technology continues to advance, he said.
Lacy said he is often asked if the vehicles will result in an increase or decrease in traffic.
"My answer is yes," he said. "Traffic will increase on some roads and decrease on others.
"So let's think about planning. We are planning projects, and we are thinking 25 plus years out."
What happens if the decision is made to plan on 20 percent less traffic because of autonomous vehicles, he said.
But suppose for some reason it is 2050 before the impact is felt and the state instead sees a 20 percent increase, Lacy said.
On the flip side, the state could continue planning as it is now and end up with more roadway with just a slight increase in traffic, he said.
"But too much roadway is equivalent to billions of dollars spent there that could have been spent somewhere else," Lacy said.
There is concern as to the impact that autonomous vehicles, particularly electric ones, will have on the state fuel tax that helps fund road construction, he said.
To help prepare for the future, the General Assembly has passed House Bill 469 to regulate the operation of fully autonomous motor vehicles on the state's public highways.
One provision is that the operator of such a vehicle with the automated driving system engaged is not required to be licensed to operate a motor vehicle.
The minimum age of an unsupervised minor in the vehicle is 12. Lacy said he does not know how legislators came up with that age.
The bill also states that the registered owner of the vehicle is responsible for any moving violations.
The bill also established the Fully Autonomous Vehicle Committee that will "consider matters relevant to fully autonomous vehicle technology, review state motor vehicle law as they relate to the deployment of fully autonomous vehicles onto the state highway system and municipal streets."
The committee also will make recommendations concerning the testing of fully autonomous vehicles, identify and make recommendations for Department of Transportation traffic rules and ordinances and make recommendations to the General Assembly on any needed changes to state law.