Ralph Nader Believes Autonomous Cars Are A Bad Move

Billions of dollars from carmakers are being poured into self-driving technology, but as with any new innovation in it’s early stages, there are many issues yet to be solved such as hacking, privacy, insurance coverage and infrastructure. Now, Ralph Nader, who wrote a book that changed safety standards for the auto industry, is saying he’s against self-driving cars.

In 1965, consumer advocate, lawyer and politician Ralph Nader penned “Unsafe at Any Speed,” a book that delineated how the automobile is an inherently dangerous invention and why the industry needed to raise its standards and alter design and manufacturing processes with regards to safety. It was met with staunch opposition from leading carmakers, but ultimately led to the standardization of safety features such as seat belts, air bags, tire treads and disc brakes. As November 30 2015 marked the books’ 50th anniversary, Mr. Nader shared his thoughts on the future of the car, which, as manufacturers are making well known, is going to be one with the ability to autonomously drive.

Leaving humans out of the driving equation would be “to turn cars into entertainment arenas, mobile offices,” Nader states, and will only contribute to “the emerging great hazard on the highway, which is distracted driving.” Inattentive drivers are reported to have caused an estimated 10 percent of traffic fatalities in 2014. Nader continues the argument by pointing out that the algorithms cars will be operating with would be “nowhere near as specific as serendipitous situations on the road in congested traffic.”

It’s no secret that the technology has a long way to go. While the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is pushing for semi-autonomous features like automated emergency braking to be widely integrated, it notes that “technological issues as well as human performance issues,” have yet to be resolved. It’s these human-computer relations that has Nader concerned as “the driver is losing control to the software, and the more the driver loses control to the software, the less the driver is going to be able to control the car down the road,” he said.

However, with so much research focused on autonomous technology, it’s inevitable that we will see many advancements become standard in coming years. Nader admits to the “definite benefits of collision-avoidance systems,” while advocates of autonomous technology claim how such systems have already saved lives, and that self-driving cars are on average much safer than their human-piloted counterparts. It’s the accident-prevention mindset opposed to collision-survival that offers a shift in paradigm and may usher in the next evolution in automotive safety.

In 1969, Nadar found himself on the cover of Time magazine and the accompanying essay followed the tribulations he had to endure as a result of his polemic book. A year later Nadar joined forces with the Consumers Union to found the Center for Auto Safety, an organization whose activist and lobbying efforts led Congress to create the NHTSA in 1970.

Can we expect similar industry reactions as Ralph Nadar, remaining a potent voice in consumer affairs, poses the important questions as we see autonomous cars come closer into fruition?