Driverless cars could become ‘lethal weapons’
An FBI report sees benefits for road safety, but warns autonomy will create greater potential for criminal ‘‘multi-tasking’’ writes Mark Harris.
GOOGLE’S DRIVERLESS car remain a prototype but the FBI believes the ‘‘ game changing’’ vehicle could revolutionise highspeed car chases within a matter of years. The report also warned that autonomous cars may be used as ‘‘lethal weapons’’.
In an unclassified but restricted report, the FBI predicts autonomous cars ‘‘ will have a high impact on transforming what both law enforcement and its adversaries can operationally do with a car’’. The report notes that people ‘‘will be able to conduct tasks that require use of both hands or taking one’s eyes off the road which would be impossible today’’. One scenario could be suspects shooting at pursuers from getaway cars that are driving themselves.
Self-driving cars use lidar (laser ranging), radar, video cameras and GPS technology to build up a digital 3D map of their surroundings, including buildings, roads, pedestrians and other vehicles. The cars can then be programmed to navigate to a destination while avoiding obstacles and ( usually) obeying the rules of the road.
The report, written by agents in the FBI’s Strategic Issues Group, says: ‘‘ Autonomy . . . will make mobility more efficient, but will also open up greater possibilities dual- use applications and ways for a car to be more of a potential lethal weapon that it is today.’’ This presumably reflects fears criminals might override safety features to ignore traffic lights and speed
for limits, or that terrorists might program explosive-packed cars to become self-driving bombs.
It directly contradicts the message that many developers of selfdriving vehicles are trying to communicate: that these cars – immune from road rage, tiredness and carelessness – can be even safer than human operators.
Google says of its latest driverless vehicles: ‘‘ They’ll be designed to operate safely and autonomously without requiring human intervention. Our software and sensors do all the work. The vehicles will be very
The vehicles will be very basic but they will take you where you want to go at the push of a button.
basic but they will take you where you want to go at the push of a button.’’
The FBI expects fully autonomous vehicles will help reduce the high number of accidents in which first responders are involved. ‘‘The risk that distraction or poor judgement leading to collision that stems from manual operation would be substantially reduced,’’ according to its report, which adds self-driving cars can ‘‘optimise’’ three-point turns and similar awkward manoeuvres that might delay responders pursuing a suspect or heading to a crime scene.
The FBI also claims tailing suspects will be much simpler with the next generation of robot cars. ‘‘Surveillance will be made more effective and easier, with less chance that a patrol car will sight of a target vehicle.’’
‘‘ In addition, algorithms can control the distance that the patrol car is behind the target to avoid detection or intentionally have a patrol car make opposite turns at intersections, yet successfully meet up at later points with the target.’’ The FBI believes autonomous cars of a lose could be approved by Congress for use by the American public within the next five to seven years.
Sounding one note of caution, however, it admits in the report that ‘‘ autonomous cars would likely face many hardships with evasive driving or car chases.’’ Sensible words. Google’s current stateof-the-art vehicle goes just 40kmh.