A Self-Driving Car on the Streets of Accra
Across the world, there are bad places to drive and then there are very bad ones. And then there’s driving in Accra.
A whole different ball game. Driving in Accra is an extreme sport. If you made it driving in Accra, congratulations you can make it anywhere. It’s one thing playing a ‘Guess-Who-This-Is’ game where your eyes are closed. And it’s another trying to do the same while driving at 80mph playing hopscotch on a road littered with gaping potholes in complete darkness. That’s how it almost feels like driving in Accra at night.
But despite all the inefficiencies of driving in Accra what if we could explore one seemingly sci-fi-like type of car — The Self-driving car.
Personally I feel as though anyone who designs and programs a self-driving car for Accra roads deserves a Nobel Prize. It is going to be a truly difficult task.
Clearly the current road infrastructure isn’t good enough for this type of car. It’s a whole new scenario when it rains heavily while driving in parts of Accra. Remember that James Bond movie “The Spy Who Loved Me” where Bond’s car transformed into a boat? Yeah, that’s exactly what all cars on Ghanaian roads transform into. It’s a sight to behold.
But what if self-driving cars could be designed to adapt to our roads despite their inefficiencies and even solve some of the problems we face today?
These complex algorithms would have to be so smart that they could identify a pothole, analyze how big and deep it might be and how to maneuver their way into or around it. Or watching a Self-driving car attempting to move through hawkers and passersby on some of our roads which have no walkways. It would be a sight to behold. Truly.
The ultimate test of a self-driving car will not be on Google’s Campus or some street in San Francisco, London or Beijing, it will be on the streets of Accra. If it works in Accra (or Mumbai, or Lagos, or Nairobi) it can work anywhere.
US Navy SEALs have a saying: “The more you sweat in training, the less you will bleed in battle.”
I think the same could be said about all forms of Technology which require training from huge datasets to function properly such as Artificial Intelligence Algorithms found in Self-Driving cars.
For some time now the thought of a self-driving car in Accra seems to be lurking in my mind. And often when I start to obsess over new things (usually new technology) I begin to see the possibilities, flaws and its impact on society, hence this write-up.
Often times when I discuss it with people they ask: “Of all the Technologies in the world, Why?”
I reply: “Why Not?”
The benefits would be enormous I believe. It would ease traffic congestion caused by poor roads and faulty traffic lights. Accidents would be reduced drastically. Millions of cedis of Fuel and Productivity wasted while sitting in traffic for hours would be saved. Not to talk of the environmental impact it would have.
Imagine an Accra filled with only Self-driving cars connected to a Central system. A Central system that will give each SDC real-time feeds and data to optimize their routes in the most efficient way possible. Zero Traffic. Zero Car accidents. Finally, we would all be able to move around like some of our Politicians who never stay in traffic. Something I’m personally looking forward to.
How would this work? A study showed that Self Driving Cars would move in a similar way to how Ants move. Ever noticed how they never stop? There are hundreds of them yet they never get stuck in traffic. Its called the Swarm Intelligence. Along with our own species, ants are some of the only creatures on Earth that move along roads that flow in both directions.
There are 5 levels of a self-driving car.
- Level One — Driver Assistance
- Level Two — Partial Automation
- Level Three — Conditional Automation
- Level Four — High Automation.
- Level Five — Complete Automation.
Perhaps what I suggest is probably a little bit far fetched since we haven’t even begun to explore Level One yet let alone jump to Level Five.
But enough of what I think. What do people in Accra think? How do they feel about “A Self-Driving Car in the Streets of Accra”
To find out, I ran a little survey on Twitter and these were the results I got. Feelings were mixed and I got a lot of interesting feedback.
Out of 306 votes, 44% of people in Accra said they would “Never” ride a Self Driving Car, 30% said it would depend, and 26% said they would ride one.
Some complained about the Timing and current state of affairs
But a major point of concern was the poor existing road infrastructure
Someone even went on to hilariously claim that the “Roads on our Potholes” would be an issue
Functionality-wise some thought it would have too many obstacles. Interesting observations about how humans and machines would relate were raised.
Hindrances such as Road Regulations, Superstitions, Culture and a whole lot more are problems we’d have to overcome. However, it’s always really fun to dream about what could be in society. And a self-driving car on the streets of Accra is one thing that would undoubtedly raise a lot of eyebrows.
Let's get interactive on Twitter!
To join the Convo, Tweet with the hashtag #SelfDrivingCarAccra
