From Horses to Self-Driving Cars: Where Are We Now?
Imagine it’s the year 1900. You’re sitting in a carriage, and a horse is doing all the work.
Fast forward to today, instead of asking whether a car needs a horse, we’re asking: how much does a car still need a human?
That’s where the SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) Levels of Driving Automation come in. They describe the journey from zero automation (you do it all) to full automation (the car does everything).
Here’s the breakdown in plain language:
Level 0 – No Automation
You’re fully in control. Safety alerts may exist, but the car doesn’t drive itself.
Level 1 – Driver Assistance
Car can help with steering OR speed, but not both. Example: adaptive cruise control.
Level 2 – Partial Automation
Car manages steering + speed together (like lane centering with cruise). Driver must stay alert.
Level 3 – Conditional Automation
Car drives itself in certain situations (e.g., highways). Driver only takes over when prompted.
Level 4 – High Automation
Car can fully drive in limited areas (like geo-fenced cities). Human backup isn’t needed in those zones.
Level 5 – Full Automation
No steering wheel, no pedals the car can drive anywhere, anytime without human input.
Why It Matters
These levels aren’t just technical jargon they tell us how close we are to a world where cars can truly drive themselves. Today, most systems on the road are Level 2, with early experiments at Level 3 and 4. We’re not in the “no driver needed” future yet but just like the people who first swapped horses for cars, we’re witnessing a revolution in how humans move.
In the end, the safety of the occupants of the vehicle is still the primary goal for all the systems involved to provide these levels of automation. Although there are multiple sensors that could be employed for such systems, the automotive camera is still key in providing the a detailed view around the vehicle that is necessary for machine vision algorithms in such systems to be able to provide audible or visual warnings to the driver or in the case of an imminent danger, apply direct control on the vehicle in order to avert such a dangerous situation from happening.