Waymo is hoping their plan to bring driverless cars to freeways in Phoenix for testing can reduce ride times by as much as 50%. Waymo said their employees will take the first test rides before it opens to the public. The plan is to eventually allow the driverless cars to use HOV lanes, but testing will take place out of carpool lane hours.
Arizona State professor Aviral Shrivastava has been researching autonomous car safety for nearly a decade. He says the algorithm for freeways is actually easier than surface streets.
Shrivastava said it is impossible to eliminate all risk behind the wheel, but his algorithms are designed so the autonomous vehicle is never to blame for an accident.
“Autonomous car companies want their cars to drive like humans,” Shrivastava said. “There’s a risk in that because if you want to drive like humans do, you’ll drive faster than you should. Waymo is a bit more cautious.”
Shrivastava said Waymo has positioned itself well to make the “natural progression” to freeway driving.
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