Framework for gauging health impacts of self-driving vehicles
They identified 32 transportation-related risk factors that affect health


Date:
October 15, 2020
Source:
Texas A&M University
Summary:
Autonomous vehicles (AV) are the wave of the future in the
automobile industry, and there's extensive discussion about
the impacts on transportation, society, the economy and the
environment. However, less attention has been focused on the
potential health impacts of self- driving vehicles.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Autonomous vehicles (AV) are the wave of the future in the automobile
industry, and there's extensive discussion about the impacts on
transportation, society, the economy and the environment.


========================================================================== However, less attention has been focused on the potential health impacts
of self-driving vehicles.

Texas A&M University researchers have developed a conceptual model
to identify these health impacts systematically. They identified 32 transportation-related risk factors that affected health and concluded
that 17 could negatively impact public health, while eight could have a positive impact. There were seven areas of uncertain implications that
require further investigation.

The researchers recently published their findings in the December issue
of Sustainable Cities and Society.

"A survey on the receptiveness of autonomous vehicles' impacts showed
that there is a lack of awareness of the potential health impacts of
AVs and low perceptions of the importance of AV health benefits," said
Soheil Sohrabi, a doctoral student in the Zachry Department of Civil
and Environmental Engineering and a graduate researcher at the Texas
A&M Transportation Institute (TTI). "On the other hand, there are some unintended consequences of AVs' implementation that need to be studied
before AVs find their way onto the road." Sohrabi, with Dr. Dominque
Lord, professor in the department and A.P. Wiley Faculty Fellow, and
Dr. Haneen Khreis with TTI created a conceptual model to systematically identify the pathways through which AVs can affect public health. The
proposed model summarizes the potential changes in transportation after AV implementation into seven points of impact: transportation infrastructure;
land use and the built environment; traffic flow; transportation mode
choice; transportation equity; and jobs related to transportation and
traffic safety. The changes in transportation are then attributed to
potential health impacts.



==========================================================================
In optimistic views, AVs are expected to prevent 94% of traffic crashes
by eliminating driver error, but AVs' operation introduces new safety
issues such as the potential of malfunctioning sensors in detecting
objects (pedestrians, bikes and cyclists, vehicles, obstacles, etc.), misinterpretation of data and poorly executed responses, which can
jeopardize the reliability of AVs and cause serious safety consequences
in an automated environment.

Another possible safety consideration is the riskier behavior of users
because of their overreliance on AVs -- for example, neglecting the use
of seatbelts due to an increased false sense of safety.

AVs have the potential to shift the people from public transportation
and active transportation such as walking and biking to private vehicles
in urban areas, which can result in more air pollution and greenhouse
gas emissions and create the potential loss of driving jobs for those
in the public transit or freight transport industries.

The model serves researchers in the fields of transportation engineering
and urban planning as well as automotive makers, health sectors and policymakers to identify the potential pathways through which AVs can
affect public health, and to investigate the impacts, quantify them and
develop policies to mitigate them.

"Given the very fast-paced research related to AVs, this work provides
very good preliminary guidelines about how AVs can negatively and
positively affect the general health of people before their full
deployment," Lord said. "Hence, engineers, planners and policymakers can already examine measures and policies that could mitigate the negative
health effects." "This study can urge public health sectors to enter the discussion about AVs and contribute to supporting policies that address
the potential negative impacts," Sohrabi said. "It also increases the
public awareness of the health impacts of AVs that can facilitate the acceptance of AV regulations and motivate them to use this new technology
and ultimately, benefit the greater good." In the future, Sohrabi said
more research is needed to clarify public health impacts of AVs more accurately. This study was primarily focused on urban areas and does
not take into account the affects of AVs in rural areas.

"The discussion about the health implications of AVs is new and limited,"
he said. "Next, we will be working on quantifying the health implications
of AVs."

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Texas_A&M_University. Original
written by Alyson Chapman.

Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Soheil Sohrabi, Haneen Khreis, Dominique Lord. Impacts of Autonomous
Vehicles on Public Health: A Conceptual Model and Policy
Recommendations.

Sustainable Cities and Society, 2020; 63: 102457 DOI: 10.1016/
j.scs.2020.102457 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/10/201015173122.htm

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