Can Self-driving Cars Really Drive by Themselves?

Can Self-driving Cars Really Drive by Themselves?

No, not if you mean “Can I just sit back and relax while my car automatically gets me from point A to B without any of my help?” And that’s according to the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), an organization automakers often turn to for performance guidelines.

It’s true that some systems — like Ford’s BlueCruise, GM’s Super Cruise, and Tesla’s AutoPilot — can provide hands-free driving on certain roads. And a very limited number of fully autonomous “robotaxis” have been tried on a very limited number of streets. However, the SAE reports that no publicly available driver-assistance technologies deliver true self-driving capability for the 2024 model year. The current top systems are rated as Level 2 technologies on a scale of 0 to 5.

Of course, those Level 2 setups can still be incredibly useful, but it’s important to understand what your responsibilities are when you get behind the wheel of any vehicle with automated driving assistance.

How Does the SAE Rate Driver-Assistance Systems?

The relevant guidelines are found in SAE Ruling J3016, which includes:

Level 0 — Safety systems are rated at Level 0 when they provide only alerts and momentary assistance, with “momentary” being a vital consideration. This means that features such as automatic emergency braking still count as Level 0 technology; the only assistance is deliver during the braking.

Level 1 — Systems that provide steering OR braking/acceleration assistance, like lane centering OR adaptive cruise control, are considered Level 1 technologies.

Level 2 –— This rating is for systems that combine both steering assistance and brake/acceleration assistance.

At Levels 0 - 2, the SAE categorizes you as actively driving even if you don’t have to steer, brake, and use the accelerator; those systems require you to constantly supervise the technologies and be ready to immediately take control at any time. On the hand, in vehicles rated at Level 3 and higher, you’re not counted as driving even if you’re in the driver’s seat. These cars can typically handle all vehicle driving functions with these differences:

Level 3 — These technologies can drive the vehicle under limited conditions and will not operate unless all required conditions are met. In addition, you have to be able to take over the controls if the system asks you to.

Level 4 — A Level 4 vehicle will only work in limited conditions, but is not engineered to ask for human assistance.

Level 5 — The ultimate self-driving car would be rated Level 5 and able to drive anywhere under any conditions without human input.

Now that you know more about ratings for driving-automation technology, you can start shopping here, start selling here, and enjoy the whole HMSMC site from wherever you have an Internet connection.