2024-02-03 19:37:03
Published3. February 2024, 8:37 p.m.
Automated driving: Law prepared by Berne creates safety concerns
The Federal Council has tested the waters on the arrival of autonomous cars. The reactions are either fearful or only timidly positive.
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Many details remain to be clarified, believe supporters of automated driving.
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A few fears on one side and a rather lackluster enthusiasm on the other: the consultation of the Federal Council on a law which prepares the arrival of automated driving on Swiss roads has not provoked thunderous enthusiasm. There is talk of adapting the legislation so that it allows the circulation of cars while “relieving motorists of their obligations of vigilance”.
Enough to cause concern. Because the driver will always have to regain control as soon as the car requires it depending on the circumstances. “In practice, this is problematic and dangerous. Once a person has abandoned responsibility for driving, this inevitably leads to a longer reaction time, which risks increasing the number of accidents,” estimates Stéphanie Penher, director of the Transport and Environment Association, who is critical but who is delighted that the problem is at least being tackled head on.
Training to be planned
Technology today does not allow a driver to be released from responsibility at all times. And human-vehicle interaction is a concern. “It cannot be ruled out, especially at the level of partially automated vehicles, that the safety losses exceed the gains,” also says the L-Drive organization, the umbrella organization for driving instructors. This calls for continuing training for people who use these vehicles. She recalls that studies have shown the potential for overall improvement in road safety through automation.
The Environment Alliance, which notably brings together Greenpeace and the WWF, advocates that legal adaptations and technology be accepted only if they go in the direction of a reduction in traffic and public space devoted to cars. For the Swiss Federation of the Blind and Visually Impaired, “priority for blind and visually impaired pedestrians must remain valid in the future as well” and it will be necessary to ensure that raising your cane to indicate your attention will always be sufficient to ensure safety.
The majority of cantons say they are in favor of the idea: yes, the law must begin to adapt to technological progress, because it is inevitable, but many questions remain to be resolved. “The long-term vision is not clear,” says the Canton of Vaud, for example. The UDC says it is in favor of the proposals but refuses to allow public money to finance the promotion of automated driving. One of the most positive opinions comes from Economiesuisse, which welcomes the proposed “modernization of the highway code”.
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