IELTS Reading Section 1 Practice – Improve Accuracy & Speed

The development of Autonomous Vehicles (AVs), commonly known as driverless cars, represents a major shift in transportation technology. These vehicles use a combination of sophisticated hardware and software to operate without human input. Key components include Lidar (Light Detection and Ranging) sensors, cameras, radar, and powerful on-board computers. The Lidar system emits pulsed laser light to measure distances and create detailed 3D maps of the surroundings, while cameras are essential for reading road signs and traffic lights.

The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) has established six levels of driving automation, ranging from Level 0 (no automation) to Level 5 (full automation). Most vehicles currently on the road are at Level 1 (driver assistance) or Level 2 (partial automation), where the driver must remain engaged and ready to take control. True driverless technology begins at Level 3 (conditional automation), where the car can handle most driving tasks but still requires a human driver to intervene if the system issues an alert.

The first significant public demonstration of self-driving technology occurred in the 1980s with research projects like Carnegie Mellon University’s Navlab. However, the modern surge in development began in the early 2000s following challenges sponsored by the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Today, companies like Waymo and Cruise are testing fleets of Level 4 (high automation) vehicles in controlled urban environments, such as Phoenix, Arizona, and San Francisco, California.

The promised benefits of AVs are substantial. They are projected to reduce traffic accidents by eliminating human error, enhance traffic flow, and create new possibilities for mobility for the elderly and disabled. Nevertheless, challenges persist, including ensuring cybersecurity against hacking, establishing clear legal liability in the event of an accident, and developing public trust in the technology. Full Level 5 autonomy is not expected to be widely implemented globally until well after 2030.