Self-Driving Cars Will Bring More Traffic, Less Safety

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Not everyone is looking forward to riding in a self-driving car. When it comes to autonomous vehicles, “we're heading towards hell,” according Kevin Delaney, editor-in-chief and co-CEO of Quartz, which is described as “digital guide to the new global economy.”

In an interview with CBS News, Delaney charged that autonomous vehicle aren’t yet safe enough for U.S. streets and highways.

“There are five levels of autonomous vehicle safety, according to the U.S. government's certification, and right now, at best, we’re at level two,” he said. “What this means is that people need to be keeping their hands on the wheel, they need to be keeping alert to avoid accidents.”

Delaney predicts that the heavy traffic experienced in major cities today will only get worse with driverless cars on the road.  His suggested solutions involve introducing autonomous vehicles in waves, starting with lower-risk innovations like low-speed buses. Platooning, or having a human driver in one truck with an autonomous truck following close behind, also is a safety option.

Another solution is to encourage carpooling, he said. “We need to make sure that it's more like Uber Pool than Uber X,” he said. “Otherwise, the congestion is going to be atrocious.” 

Government policy will need to be in place, as well. “There’s not a lot of guidance coming out of Washington,” Delaney said. “This is like a lot of other areas of policy and politics where our lawmakers are struggling. And our current administration is struggling to take the lead here. So, what we’re seeing is that it’s the car makers and the tech companies, who are involved in this area themselves, who are pooling data and who are starting to collaborate a lot more on some of the safety things that need to be done. It's in all of our interests that our governments actually get more involved and gets in front of this.”

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