What is the full form of HAD?

Introduction to HAC

Highly Autonomous Driving (HAD) means an automated car that needs less human assistance while driving the car on the road.

Many can get confused after hearing about highly automated driving and fully automated driving. These two are different. While fully automated driving means a software is controlling the car without the need of the assistance of a driver, the highly automated driving means one of those cars that is controlled mostly by a software and not a human.

Definition of HAD

What is highly automated driving? While it sounds like highly automated driving is a lot like one of the cars that follows the concept of fully automated driving, it is not so. There is a small difference between these two concepts. A fully automated driving means the car does not need any help or guidance from the driver. In fact there won’t be any driver. All the people sitting inside will be the passengers.

On the other hand, highly automated driving means most control of the car will be to the AI generated software. It will only need the assistance of a driver when an emergency occurs. For example, if the car has to take turns or find a new lane, etc.

Features of HAD

Any highly autonomous driving facility equipped car must have some features that can help the car to be advanced enough to drive itself without taking much assistance from a driver. Any highly autonomous car should have cruise control, automatic braking system, highly-advanced map and real time data provider and blind spot detection facility. So, here is detailed information about a highly autonomous car.

• Cruise Control − This feature, now seen on various luxury cars, is a great feature to have. This feature is responsible for adjusting the speed limit, ensuring the car’s speed limit is not broken. It also helps to maintain a safe distance from other cars, reducing the chances of road accidents.

• Emergency Braking − Automated emergency braking system is a computer- vision based safety system. Its main purpose is to activate the brake automatically and stop the vehicle whenever it finds any road blocks, cyclists, people, another vehicle, object on the road, pedestrian, etc. Having this feature is essential because it also helps to avoid so many unwanted road accidents.

• Blind Spot Detection Facility − The blind spot detection facility provides the driver sitting on the front seat with a 360 degree view of the road or the surrounding, which can help the driver to realise if there is any car or people behind. It also helps the people sitting inside to be careful.

• Highly-advanced Map − A highly-advanced map means a map that provides satellite images, realtime data from an intelligent traffic system and data from smart video cameras, etc. Since it provides real time data to the driver, it can reduce the travel time and increase the safety of the people sitting inside the car.

Advantages of HAD

HAD or Highly Autonomous Driving implies those cars that need less control from the driver and more control from the AI-run system installed in it. While this concept is yet to become a full-fledged reality, it is needless to say that this type of cars, if implemented properly, can provide multiple benefits to the people. Here are some advantages of a highly autonomous car −

• Decrease in Road Accidents − Road accidents are one of the most common reasons for death. According to information provided by USDOT, around 94% of road accidents occur due to human error, which is a big number. However, the highly autonomous cars are expected to have enough advanced equipment installed that can help stop the car or lower the speed limit of the same. It can decrease the chances of road accidents a lot more.

• No CO2 Emission − The U.S law has already stated that if any company decides to launch a self-driving car or highly automated vehicle, then that must not create any pollution to the environment, and rightly so because if a software will control the car, there would hardly be any room for pollution.

• Saves Travel Time − According to a report, Americans waste around 80 billion hours standing in U.S' traffic. But the production of automated cars can be advanced enough to lower the speed when needed, and save the time people spend on the road.

Challenges for HAD Implementation

While highly autonomous driving sounds advanced and fun, its deployment is not that comfortable. It faces some significant challenges, which none of us may figure out until we do a thorough research. Here are some challenges HAD’s implementation might face −

• Poor Weather − While the world thinks about building a highly autonomous car, thinking about the poor weather condition is also a necessity. A highly advanced car can drive or control itself on a clean road. But can it control itself when there is snow covered in the road? Or can it do the same when there is debris on the road? These are some questions the visionaries should answer first.

• Intelligence − Whenever drivers drive a car, they stop at the road where it is needed, make essential eye-contact to the people walking, talk to them if needed. These things make travel easier. But a highly automated car, no matter how highly advanced it is, can never do that. So, the engineers have to find a way to let the car communicate to the people walking on the road.

Conclusion

HAD or highly autonomous driving is a reality of the future. Even though it has been a vision for so many car manufacturing companies, it has some challenges besides having some benefits. So, considering all those before the final production is necessary.

FAQs

Q1. How many deaths happened due to human error in 2017?

Ans − Around 37,133 deaths happened in 2017 due to human error.

Q2. How much drop in co2 emission can be seen due to HAD?

Ans − 60% drop in co2 emission can be seen due to HAD.

Q3. Does every state in the U.S offer the same law regarding automated cars?

Ans − No, U.S’ different states offer different laws regarding automated cars.