Driving slowly while swaying left and right in the first lane
Eventually hitting the curb near the rest area and stopping the vehicle
A dangerous situation nearly occurred on the highway due to a driver falling asleep while the autonomous driving mode was activated. On the 9th, a video titled "Do you fall asleep while leaving the autonomous driving mode on the highway where cars are speeding?" was uploaded on the YouTube channel 'Han Moon-cheol TV.' The video was submitted by bus driver Mr. A, who drives a 28-seat bus. While driving in the first lane of the highway, Mr. A noticed a new Santa Fe vehicle moving slowly ahead. Despite repeatedly honking the horn, the vehicle continued to drive at a low speed.
A report was received about a dangerous situation that almost occurred due to a driver falling asleep with the autonomous driving mode activated on the highway. On the 9th, a video titled "Do you fall asleep with autonomous driving mode on while cars are speeding on the highway?" was uploaded on the YouTube channel 'Han Moon-cheol TV'. [Photo by YouTube channel 'Han Moon-cheol TV']
Feeling something was wrong, Mr. A turned on his hazard lights and carefully followed the vehicle. After following it for a while, he could no longer keep driving slowly and changed lanes to the second lane. Mr. A recalled, "No matter how much I thought about it, it seemed strange, so I flashed my high beams and honked the horn, but the same behavior repeated. I overtook in the second lane to check and found the driver was asleep. And that was in the first lane of the highway." He added, "I kept honking to wake him up, but there was no response."
He continued, "While following behind, I suddenly thought, 'This must be autonomous driving mode.' I thought that if the vehicle ahead stopped, this car would also stop or change lanes." He added, "When I slowed down in front, the car changed lanes. Seeing that, I changed lanes as well, and we ended up changing lanes together until the rest area entrance."
Mr. A even thought, "I should stop the bus even if my bus hits him" at the rest area entrance. After that, the bus gradually slowed down, and the other vehicle followed the bus but strangely kept leaning to the right, hitting the curb with a 'thud' and stopping. Attorney Han Moon-cheol said, "Fully autonomous driving mode is not yet possible," and added, "This was a serious situation. (Mr. A) saved a life." Netizens responded with comments such as, "Be grateful to the bus driver for life," "To be precise, it’s semi-autonomous. Humans must continuously intervene," "Driving risking your life is amazing," and "It’s a dangerous act not only for your own life but also for others."
Meanwhile, the autonomous driving mode equipped in recently released vehicles is a function that allows the car to drive itself without driver intervention by combining artificial intelligence and sensor technology. This autonomous driving mode has the advantage of reducing driver fatigue and making driving more comfortable, but it also involves safety and ethical issues, leading to ongoing controversy. In fact, in San Francisco, California, USA?the first place in the world to allow 24-hour autonomous taxis?fatal accidents have been occurring.
In October last year, a woman was seriously injured after being run over by a robo-taxi (autonomous taxi) in downtown San Francisco. The robo-taxi applied the brakes as soon as the woman’s body touched the car, but by the time the car stopped, she was already pinned under the vehicle. Also, in August of the same year, two autonomous taxis from General Motors (GM) Cruise blocked an ambulance carrying a patient for about 90 seconds, delaying the hospital transfer time and resulting in the patient’s death. These incidents continue to fuel controversy over the related technology.
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