Lyft Self Driving Car Avoids Crash As An Veihcle Pulls Out In Front Of It

By now we’ve all heard about self-driving cars; from Tesla and Ford to newcomers such as Byton, research and development in the field has skyrocketed over the last few years.

But for some, the reality of driverless cars navigating busy city streets has still remained a far-off concept. That is, until Friday.

At CES this week, Lyft and Aptiv offered free rides in their Pilot autonomous BMWs, reporters got a firsthand look at the future of ride-sharing.

In somewhat of a surprise, the roughly 20-minute drive along the Las Vegas strip was smooth from start to finish – even considering one nerve-wracking moment when the vehicle was cut off by another car.

The cars communicate with small boxes mounted on the traffic lights, allowing them to understand the color of the light even when if they can’t ‘see’ it.

This works as a redundancy factor, to make the trip even safer, explained Nandita Mangal, who’s in charge of rider experience.

During the brief ride from the LVCC’s Gold Lot to the Aria hotel, it was almost easy to forget that we were riding in a self-driving car.

It made no sudden stops and always used its turn signal.

But, occasional announcements, such as ‘lane change checking,’ were a quick reminder.

Inside Lyft's Srl-Driving Car

Instead of a smartphone with GPS perched on the dashboard, the self-driving Lyft is equipped with a small display that shows everything it’s seeing in real-time.

Cars, pedestrians, and other objects on side of road displayed as clusters of little blue dots, while purple route lines and yellow special indicators can also be seen moving around on the screen.

The cars communicate with small boxes mounted on the traffic lights, allowing them to understand the color of the light even when if they can’t ‘see’ it.

This works as a redundancy factor, to make the trip even safer, explained Nandita Mangal, who’s in charge of rider experience.

Whenever the car makes a decision, such as a lane change, it announces its activity to the riders. 

At the Lyft pickup spot at the Las Vegas Convention Center, hopefuls began filling the tent the moment it opened.

But, lining up wouldn’t do you any good.

Securing a spot in one of the self-driving cars was a process one Lyft staff member likened to ‘the Hunger Games,’ offering a pick-up to anyone fast enough to click ‘Reserve’ the second the button popped up on everybody’s screens.

Over the course of the week, some were left waiting for hours.

Luckily, we managed to land a ride within about 45 minutes.

Once you’ve confirmed, you must sign a waiver before getting in. While the rides are autonomous, each car is accompanied by a backup driver who sits behind the wheel, and a host who walks you through the experience.

And, there are some conditions in which the human driver is required to take over – including in private parking lots, and in construction zones.

When you first get in, it’s not all that different from getting into a typical Lyft, as someone is sitting in the driver’s seat.

But instead of a smartphone with GPS perched on the dashboard, the self-driving Lyft is equipped with a small display that shows everything it’s seeing in real-time.

Cars, pedestrians, and other objects on side of road are displayed as clusters of little blue dots, while purple route lines and yellow spatial indicators can also be seen moving around on the screen.