Summary Draft #2 "Driverless vehicles"

The article, “Driverless Vehicles: A Vision for Singapore’s Transport” from the Ministry of Transport (MOT) website (2018) states the use of autonomous vehicle (AV) technology will potentially transform the lives of singaporeans and Singapore herself. AV will improve manpower productivity and “overcome manpower constraints” with the decreasing numbers of drivers to vehicles ratio. MIT’s 2011 study (as cited in MOT, 2018) mentions that car-sharing will decrease the number of vehicles on the road, hence reducing carbon footprint. In 2015, a test run on driverless vehicles had been conducted, with the course comprising of “light and heavy traffic routes, under real traffic conditions”. Thus, providing transportation solutions to increase efficiency of road usage. Furthermore, Committee on Autonomous Road Transport (CARTS) had been set up to direct and explore the prospects of AV in the future. In order to create a Smart Nation, MOT will work closely with CARTS towards making this vision into a reality.

Thesis: Although there is a bright future for driverless vehicles, there are still safety concerns with regards to this growing technology. With driverless vehicles, it is not necessarily safer than human drivers as it is subjected and programmed to limited potential traffic accidents and dangers.