Summary Reader Response Draft 3

In the article, “Singapore revs up engine for autonomous vehicles race”, Noble (2019) reports on how Singapore is pursuing and competing with other countries on incorporating driverless vehicles into their transportation system. In recent years AVs have slowly been on the rise in Singapore. To swiftly step up efforts on incorporating driverless vehicles, multiple organisations in Singapore have collaborated to implement the TR(68). The TR(68) was developed to inculcate safety into implementing driverless vehicles. Chao (2019) stresses that “AV could pave the way for road safety, citing that 94% of vehicular accidents have taken place due to human error”. With the implementation of driverless vehicles, it will give assurance towards a safer driving and better mobility catered to those with disabilities and old age. Based on the article, the writer mentions how Singapore is stepping up its efforts to incorporate AVs due to the benefits and advantages it brings. However, she failed to include the negative aspects it comes with, such as its constraints, limitation and disadvantages.

Firstly, even with the Technical Reference (TR68) introduced to ensure the safe deployment of AVs in Singapore. It still raises the concern on whether the AVs is safe to be driven on Singapore roads just by solely relying on (TR68). AVs depends on using sensors to navigate around and can pose a risk to the driver if it were to malfunction or fail during the drive. Poor and drastic weather condition can also be another factor that may interfere with the sensor. In Singapore, the occasional occurrence of heavy rains and haze can interfere and affect the effectiveness of the sensor, requiring the driver to intervene in the process. According to Klein (2016), he mentions how a driverless vehicle system failed to apply its brakes which resulted in the tragic death of the driver. In the main article, the writer failed to give examples or provide strong justification for the safe deployment of AVs in Singapore.

Secondly, with a growing ageing population in Singapore, it opens up the option for the government to further incorporate AVs into their transportation system. Although AVs can help improve mobility and safety on the road, there are also certain limitations and constraints to consider. Muoio (2016) highlights some of the constraints of AVs. It includes not being able to respond to situations which involve large crowd, reading off road signs, GPS and other technology not registering cordoned areas or obstacles. The roads in Singapore are often congested and filled with obstacles, making it difficult for AVs to move around in. For example, if an AV were to come across a large scale event or encounter an accident, how will it be able to react and respond in that situation? Consequently, this addresses the problem of whether AVs can help improve the mobility and safety for the people in Singapore.

Lastly, the cost of implementation and development of AVs does not come cheap. Sedran (2019) explains how AVs require state of the art technology such as sensor systems that are overpriced and a computer system resource that is expensive. He also mentions how the development of AVs will take longer for it to reach its full potential level as the cost of development is too costly. Although the development of AVs in Singapore is well underway, the government needs to take into account the high cost of supporting the development and maintenance of AVs. 

In conclusion, despite Singapore showing steady progress in its efforts to incorporate AVs to improve road safety and mobility, it is also fundamentally important for the government to look into developing solutions on mitigating its constraints and limitations. Doing so will help to reinforce the safety of both the pedestrians and motorist with the deployment of AVs.

References:
 Klein, A. (2016, July 1). Tesla driver dies in first fatal autonomous car crash in US. Retrieved October 13, 2019, from https://www.newscientist.com/article/2095740-tesla-driver-dies-in-first-fatal-autonomous-car-crash-in-us/.

Muoio, D. (2016, August 25). 6 scenarios self-driving cars still can't handle. Retrieved October 13, 2019, from https://www.businessinsider.sg/autonomous-car-limitations-2016-8/?r=US&IR=T.

Hermes. (2019, March 8). Driverless cars 'don't make business sense'. Retrieved October 13, 2019, from https://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/motoring/driverless-cars-dont-make-business-sense

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Assignment 1 - Formal Letter

Subject: Self-Introduction Dear Mdm Fazlilah My name is Devaraj Domingo, and I am currently in my first year of studying Sustainable Infrastructure Engineering (Land). I graduated from Singapore Polytechnic with a Diploma in Mechanical Engineering. The passion to be an engineer has its roots from polytechnic days, during which my interest grew even more when I had the opportunity to intern with SMRT. Throughout the internship, the exposure and insights in the railway industry made me became fascinated with trains, its operations and system.  How train functions and moves mechanically are just some of the very few things that intrigued me and made me want to pursue a course in this field of study further. One of my key strength in communication is that I am always open to receiving feedback and providing constructive inputs to others. For any group discussions or meetings that I am involved in, I would often do my best to share my personal views or opinions with the rest. Feedbac...
Read more

Summary Draft 1 - Autonomous Vehicles

In the article "Singapore revs up engine for autonomous vehicles race" Noble (2019) reports on how Singapore is trying to keep up and compete with other countries on incorporating driverless vehicles into their transportation system. This is evident, as Noble (2019) mentions how multiple organizations in Singapore are collaborating on implementing the Technical Reference (68), which targets to bring about safety towards incorporating driverless vehicles. At the same time, Noble(2019) shares how countries like Germany and Korea have already begun conducting test and research outside of test sites to enhance further and improve the development of autonomous vehicles. Despite Singapore showing progress over the years in their efforts to incorporate driverless vehicles, they are still not on par with other countries and lags behind. Based on development-wise, Singapore is still within the primary stages of development as compared to other countries who are already working on in t...
Read more

Annotated Summary

According to an online magazine, "The Push for Green Buildings"  Soh (2016) addresses how tenants and residents knowledge of eco-friendly buildings plays an essential step in supporting eco-friendly buildings become genuinely green in Singapore. She emphasized that in the fields of weather change and environmental sustainability, attaining significant progress requires the ongoing engagement, collaboration and mindset change of the greater community. Doing so will help to align Singapore efforts in targeting to decrease its emissions intensity number from its 2005 levels by 2030. Although about a third of Singapore's building stock has been taken up by green buildings, there is still a significant number at hand that is not eco-friendly. Looking at its current state, many of the consumers and end-users in Singapore today lack a shared understanding of green buildings and their benefits. Mandyck (2014) mentions how studies have shown that eco-friendly buildings obtain...
Read more