article: However, a radical new driverless truck being trialled by Daimler may offer a solution. Earlier this month, the automotive giant was granted the first licence ever to test such a vehicle on a public highway by the US state of Nevada. Using a combination of GPS, radar and video cameras, the Freightliner Inspiration can drive by itself on open stretches of road, freeing a driver to take breaks, check his emails and even watch DVDs. The catch is that a qualified person must remain in front of the wheel at all times so they can take control if something goes wrong. However, proponents say that the technology, once perfected, will reduce accidents by lessening the chance of human error, boost productivity and cut emissions. It is perhaps ironic that fully driverless vehicles are already being used in low-speed, controlled environments. Rio Tinto, for instance, operates over 50 self-drive trucks at its mines in Pilbara, Australia, while Lockheed Martin has built a range of autonomous trucks for the US Army. One such is the SMSS vehicle which made its combat debut in Afghanistan in 2011. According to Lockheed, it can "track and follow" the movements of a single soldier, transport supplies over rough terrain and carry out casualty evacuations, all without the aid of a human driver. Where things get tricky is moving these vehicles onto public roads, with other vehicles and pedestrians. Daimler's truck, for example, only works on freeways, and a human must take over when it reaches city streets - a far more "complicated traffic environment", according to the company. The good news, predicts the German consultancy Roland Berger, is that we will overcome these technical hurdles within the next 10-15 years - in fact by 2030, we will probably have the capacity to take human drivers out of the equation entirely. Much more challenging, however, will be solving the deeper social and legal barriers. "There are some really big ethical issues," explains Wolfgang Bernhart, partner at Roland Berger. "They relate to how a computer-controlled vehicle should react in certain situations, when an accident is unavoidable and the vehicle has to decide what to do and whom to harm. "It requires a clear consensus in societies about what to do in terms of liability, and it will take a very long time to reach." He gives the example of a fully self-driving truck, which unexpectedly hits an object that has fallen onto a highway and loses control. The truck may at this point have to make a choice: veer to the right onto a walkway, where a mother and her children are walking and would be killed; or to the left where three elderly people are crossing the road. "If a human was at the wheel, he would have to make this really tough decision in the moment," explains Mr Bernhart. "But if a truck is being powered by a computer algorithm, then these decisions would have to be made in advance by the programmers. And who is going to accept such a decision that sacrifices three elderly people instead
summary: Sleepiness and stress are perennial risks for the long distance lorry driver, and accidents are sadly too frequent.