MP urges Iceland to prepare for self-driving cars

Self-driving cars could soon change how people travel, but Icelandic authorities must approve their use before the country can benefit, Independence Party MP Rósa Guðbjartsdóttir writes in an opinion article published by Morgunblaðið.

Guðbjartsdóttir compares the technology with the launch of the iPhone in 2007. She says self-driving cars are no longer limited to taxi services: private cars also have systems that can drive to a destination entered on the vehicle’s screen. For now, she says, someone must sit in the driver’s seat of a private car and be ready to take control if needed.

Self-driving taxis already operate on streets without anyone in the driver’s seat, she writes. If current plans proceed, private cars in the United States may also be able to operate without a person in that seat as soon as next year.

Tesla’s Full Self-Driving system is permitted in the United States and eight European countries, according to the article: the Netherlands, Lithuania, Estonia, Denmark, Belgium, Slovenia, the Czech Republic and Croatia. Several other European countries, including Greece, Ireland, Sweden, Finland, France, Italy and Spain, are considering allowing self-driving cars.

Guðbjartsdóttir says many Teslas from 2023 and 2024 on Icelandic roads have HW4 hardware, which she says will eventually enable fully autonomous driving. Older Teslas from 2019 will also be able to offer self-driving functions, she writes, but a person will still need to remain in the driver’s seat and be ready to take over.

A potential game changer

The technology could allow families to reduce the number of cars they own, Guðbjartsdóttir writes. A car could pick children up from school or activities, take people to work or the airport, return home and make another trip when needed.

She also argues that self-driving cars could improve safety. She asks whether drink-driving would continue if a car could drive while its passengers sat in the back. Citing measurements in the United States, she says insurance premiums have fallen as use of self-driving technology has grown, and that the technology has proved up to seven times safer than human driving.

Self-driving taxis

Self-driving taxis are operating in several parts of the United States, according to the article. Amazon’s four-seat Zoox vehicles are being tested in several cities and have no steering wheel or pedals. Waymo has offered self-driving taxi services for some time, while Tesla has recently introduced the Cybercab, which also has no steering wheel or pedals. It carries two passengers and has a large screen for watching services such as YouTube or Netflix during a journey.

Guðbjartsdóttir says the technology is no longer a distant prospect and that Icelandic authorities must approve it for people in the country to benefit. She says she has twice submitted a parliamentary resolution proposal calling for lawmakers to prepare for self-driving cars, most recently in September, and asks whether Iceland will take part in the development or fall behind other countries.