In twilight and at crossroads, humans are better than computers. At least behind the wheel of cars, new research shows.
Cars are becoming more and more automated, and in some of them you can completely let go of the steering wheel. But there are still traffic situations humans can handle better than computers.
This is shown by a new study published in the journal Nature .
The survey is based on data from 35,000 traffic accidents where people were involved and 2,100 accidents where assistance systems in the cars played a role.
And the conclusion is clear. Drivers, i.e. those of blood and flesh, are better drivers than the computer power behind the assistant systems. That is, in certain situations.
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Among other things, the investigation finds that computers navigate worse in the dark than drivers do. The same applies when the car comes to an intersection.
The cameras and sensors of the assistance systems simply do not capture everything that goes on around them. And although the same is the case for the human eye, there are situations where people do much better behind the wheel.
And this is backed up by the raw amount of data behind the survey. Here it turns out that in most cases the computer-controlled car continued at an unchanged speed immediately before an accident.
Whereas in most accidents where people were behind the wheel, the brakes were stepped on violently in the moments of an accident. You can then put in whatever you want. Perhaps it is wisest to consider the assistant systems for what they are. Namely a help to drive a car and not a driver.
Unfortunately, accidents happen in traffic. Some of them because drivers trust their cars' 'ability' too much. That's what one Tesla owner admitted to having done when his corsage recently killed a motorcyclist. Read more about that case here .
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