Self-driving cars are no longer limited to the realm of science fiction. Major automobile corporations are incorporating partial and fully automated driving features into their recent models, and self-driving cars have also been developed all over the world. Seoul Special Metropolitan City has also joined this trend and recently launched a self-driving bus system including the “Early-morning A160.”
A self-driving bus system was first introduced by the Seoul Metropolitan Government in 2022. Since then, the city has expanded the system by adding new operation routes and launching a late-night autonomous bus service. However, the recently introduced “Early-morning A160” has been especially well-received, since this service operates earlier in the morning than regular buses. While there is a clear limitation on the time range during which a human driver can operate, autonomous systems can operate at any time of the day, providing a much-needed answer for early-morning commuters.
While this self-driving bus system has benefited many citizens of Seoul, there are also some issues that need to be addressed. Unlike human drivers, autonomous driving systems operate by analyzing traffic conditions through sensors, so errors caused by the sensor system may lead to safety concerns. Recent news and reports highlighting the issue of sudden stops by these autonomous vehicles underscore the potential safety concerns that autonomous buses may entail.
The lack of legal clarity regarding autonomous driving may also raise problems. This is due to ongoing controversies about who should be held accountable when an autonomous vehicle gets involved in a car accident. While automated driving features, which assist human drivers instead of fully operating autonomous driving, are commercialized and introduced to vehicles currently on the market, automated vehicles that are capable of fully operating driving, are still in the testing phase. This means there is little judicial precedent about the accidents involving autonomous vehicles, and whether a manufacturer, a human supervisor, or the city holds responsibility may not be clear.
The introduction of autonomous driving shows how much science has evolved so far. However, the technology will only be fully utilized and hence benefit many when the required social understanding and legal systems are fully established.
