99 per cent of autonomous vehicle accidents caused by human error

Humans are responsible for 99 per cent of autonomous vehicle (AV) accidents according to IDTechEx.

The data revealed that for crashed vehicles that were operating in autonomous mode, 81 out of 83 incidents were caused by a human.

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Further, out of 187 reports of AV accidents, only two could be attributed to the performance of the system itself.

“Our liability behind the wheel is not just the problem of other human drivers but can also be difficult for autonomous vehicles to contend with,” the report says.

“Autonomous drivers don’t mistake forward and reverse gears, they don’t take unnecessary risks such as overtakes and running stop signs, they always pay 100 per cent attention, and finally, they won’t flee from the police.”

The majority of the 81 incidents whereby a human driver collided with an autonomously driven vehicle were typical crashes, with the most common form of collision being rear-ended collisions while in traffic or stopped.

“These kinds of crashes are likely caused by either human inattention or distraction,” IDTechEx’s researchers suggested.

Of the two instances in which the autonomous vehicle was at fault, both involved machines made by Zoox. In both cases, the cars reportedly misjudged their clearance to parked vehicles leading to contact and some minor damage.

Researchers believe that a possible cause was weaknesses or blind spots within the vehicle’s sensor suite.

Going forward, IDTechEx believes that autonomy will create massive opportunities in the automotive sensors industry.

Recent changes to regulations will allow an uptick in consumer adoption, they say.
“Recently, regulations have started to improve, allowing some regions such as Japan, Germany and the UK to have level 3 vehicles on their roads by the end of 2021.”

“IDTechEx expects significant adoption of level 3 and level 4 technology within the car market over the next 10-20 years, radicalising the way society travels and causing huge disruption to the auto sector's century-old business models.”