Proponents of autonomous vehicles state that, once widely available and adopted, AVs could provide a number of benefits, including:

• Fewer traffic collisions (through improved collision avoidance);
• Reduction in traffic congestion/increase in highway capacity;
• Improved fuel efficiency;
• Reduced vehicle emissions;
• Convenience, time savings and lower stress for drivers and commuters;
• Enhanced mobility; and
• Other benefits could be realized related to the economy, innovation, infrastructure, environment, land-use planning, etc.

Although fully autonomous vehicles are not available to consumers yet, semiautonomous driver assistance systems are. These include technologies like adaptive cruise control, lane assist, self-parking, etc. Once a fully autonomous vehicle becomes available to consumers, it will be able to be operated without driver intervention. Estimates vary, however some manufacturers predict that fully autonomous vehicles will be available to consumers between 2020 and 2025.

Every automated vehicle must be equipped with the following safety mechanisms and systems:

1. A mechanism, easily accessible to the driver, that engages and disengages the automated driving system.
2. A system that safely alerts the driver if a failure of the automated driving system is detected while it is engaged, and either –
   • requires the driver to take over all the dynamic driving tasks required to operate the vehicle, or
   • if the driver does not or is unable to take over all the dynamic driving tasks required to operate the vehicle, causes the vehicle to safely move out of traffic and come to a complete stop.
3. A mechanism that allows the driver to take over all the dynamic driving tasks required to operate the vehicle if the automated driving system fails or if the driver disengages the automated driving system.

Also, the driver of an automated vehicle shall remain at all times in the driver’s seat of the vehicle and shall monitor the vehicle’s operation.

Yes, self-driving cars will be much safer than human-driven cars, but not perfect. 93% of traffic collisions involve human error. Barrie Kirk, executive director of the Canadian Automated Vehicles Centre of Excellence predicts as many as 80% of accidents could be eliminated with self-driving cars.

• Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I) technologies and systems facilitate secure communication between AVs and municipal infrastructure such as traffic lights, with secure communication enabled by a combination of specialized hardware, software, NGN capabilities and 5G networks.
• V2I refers to a wireless exchange of data between vehicles and roadway infrastructure. This exchange of data is typically bi-directional, allowing data from the roadside to be delivered to the vehicle, and data from the vehicle to be delivered to the roadside.

Future projects may include:

• the ability for AV’s to send a signal to the cities LED street lights so they can turn brighter as the car approaches, and
• the ability for ambulances and fire trucks to send a signal to the AVs telling them to pull off to the side of the road to provide right of way in emergencies.

Uber has opened a Toronto research hub for AV technology, and their self-driving cars are on the streets however they are all always in manual mode. “Manual mode” means that although the cars have self-driving capability, they will be operated by human drivers. The cars aren’t available for rides, they are conducting mapping tasks. Uber hopes to test cars in autonomous mode by the end of 2017.

• The BlackBerry QNX Autonomous Vehicle Innovation Centre (AVIC) was created to advance technology innovation for connected and autonomous vehicles, independently as well as in collaboration with private and public sector organizations and research institutes. Building on the company’s 20 years of experience and leadership in the automotive industry, the centre will germinate new ideas and transform innovative concepts into reality through advanced engineering projects and demonstration vehicles tested on real roads.
• Major components of IBM’s Watson, the internationally recognized cognitive system founded on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning, were developed here in Ottawa, largely thanks to IBM’s acquisition of Cognos Inc. in 2008. Watson contains the equivalent of 100 million books worth of information. Ottawa serves as the global headquarters for IBM’s Data Analytics.
• In 2016, Amazon launched an R&D and engineering office in Ottawa to develop key applications and solutions for Alexa, the AI assistant that powers Amazon’s voice activated Bluetooth speaker, Echo.
• Apple has also covertly opened an R&D office in Ottawa.