What is the Authonomous Driving?
By default, autonomous driving presupposes that there is no need for a driver. However, in Portugal and the rest of Europe, the definition of autonomous driving has a slightly different concept and it is not yet possible to go to work and return by car without having to touch the steering wheel, brake, clutch or the like, as it happens in the United States or other countries.
Although there are still no infallible 100% autonomous systems, with technological evolution, driving assistance systems have been implemented that end up guaranteeing some autonomy of the vehicle or assisting the safety systems. The first major innovation in autonomous driving emerged in the 1990s with the introduction of Cruise Control by the hand of Mercedes in the first S-Class. Then, in the course of the 21st century, proximity sensors, brake assist systems, lane overpass alerts and sensors for the presence of other vehicles in the so-called visibility blind spot.
More recently there are brands that reach a semi-autonomous level, in which the car effectively drives it self, but, for example, the driver must intervene on the steering wheel every 15 seconds or to overtake or circumvent an obstacle they need the action the driver. This is the maximum level of autonomous driving allowed in Portugal and in the vast majority of European countries. However, in the United States, autonomous driving is already a reality and some car brands, namely Tesla, already equip their cars with more advanced levels of autonomous driving, where it is possible to go from A to B without any driver intervention, but that still require someone to be behind the wheel in an emergency.