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Page 10 The Skanner March 23, 2016 News cont’d from pg 9 ers. But the study had limitations. The human fi gures were increased to include an estimate of minor crashes that weren’t reported to police. All au- tonomous car crashes in California, however, must be reported. The study also didn’t include potential crashes that were avoided when human back- up drivers took control. U.S. traffi c deaths have declined steadily for most of the past decade, from 43,510 in 2005 to 32,675 in 2014. But estimates show they spiked 9 per- cent in the fi rst nine months of last year due mainly to increased miles traveled, texting and other distrac- tions. If autonomous cars are the answer to sharply reducing those fi gures, “ Autonomous brak- ing alone would prevent 700,000 rear crashes per year if installed on all cars they’ll fi rst have to gain the public’s trust. A January poll by AAA found that three-quarters of U.S. drivers are “afraid” to ride in an autonomous car. A University of Michigan poll found similar results in Japan, China, India and elsewhere. Unlike Google, which wants to test cars without human drivers, auto- makers and parts companies are roll- ing out autonomous features as they are ready. The AAA poll found that drivers are somewhat comfortable with the individual features of autonomous driving such as automatic emergency braking. Separate studies have shown those features can cut crashes. The E T S A P T N VE From Syria to Sudan: Refugee Athletes Train for Olympic Team A group of 43 displaced men and women are being considered for “Refugee Olympic Athletes” team Stephen Wilson AP Sports Writer LONDON (AP) — They’ve fl ed war and violence in the Middle East and Africa. They’ve crossed treacherous seas in small dinghies and lived in dusty refu- gee camps. They include a teen- age swimmer from Syr- ia, long-distance run- ners from South Sudan and judo and taekwon- do competitors from Congo, Iran and Iraq. They are striving to achieve a common goal: To compete in the Olym- pics in Rio de Janeiro. Not for their home countries, but as part of the fi rst ever team of refugee athletes. A group of 43 dis- placed men and women, who range in age from 17 to 30 and have es- caped confl icts in their homelands, are being considered for selection “ AP PHOTO/FRANK FRANKLIN II, FILE Cars Insurance Institute for Highway Safe- ty says autonomous braking alone would prevent 700,000 rear crashes per year if installed on all cars. On Thursday, transportation offi - cials and automakers said they agreed to make automatic braking standard in nearly all cars within the next six years. General Motors has plans to soon test autonomous cars by carrying employees around a technical center near Detroit. Still, John Capp, director of global safety and vehicle programs, sees humans behind the wheel for the foreseeable future. “We can’t aff ord to tarnish safety by doing experimentation on the roads,” he says. The burden of proof will be on com- panies to show that the technology is safe, Adam Jonas, a Morgan Stanley auto analyst, told investors recently. But even with that evidence, some governments may still be reluctant. “No mayor wants to be the fi rst elect- ed offi cial blamed for the death of a citizen by a robot,” Jonas wrote. Yet cities, seeing potential job growth and safety benefi ts, already are competing for wider use of the cars, he wrote. In Austin, Mayor Steve Adler says Google cars in his city haven’t caused any crashes, and he believes they bring safety benefi ts. “We don’t get perfection with regular drivers ei- ther,” he says. Adler sees allowing the cars in small, controlled areas that expand as the cars prove themselves safe. Colby Huff , a radio host from Springfi eld, Illinois, wouldn’t ride in one. While others would welcome the car handling a daily commute, Huff doesn’t think programmers are infal- lible. “There’s just too much that can go wrong in something that weighs a ton or so,” he says. “It’s not worth my family’s safety to trust a machine.” This is a Friday, Dec. 15, 2006 fi le photo of Actor George Clooneyas he listens to Kenyan runner Tegla Loroupe, right, of Kenya as she respond to questions on Darfur during a news interview at the United Nations headquarters. Loroupe, the former Kenyan world record-holder in the women’s marathon, is training 23 runners at her camp near Nairobi who are candidates for a team of refugee athletes to compete at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. the Maracana Stadium on Aug. 5 behind the white fl ag with the fi ve We want to send a message of hope to all the refugees of the world to the team called “Refu- gee Olympic Athletes.” Prompted by the plight of millions of migrants and refugees across the world, the International Olympic Committee is creating a small team of refugees who will compete in Rio under the Olympic fl ag. In what will surely be one of the emotional highlights of the open- ing ceremony, the team will march together into Olympic rings. They will walk in just ahead of the team from Bra- zil, the host nation that marches last among the 206 national Olympic committees in the ath- letes’ parade. The refugee athletes will live in the Olympic Village with the oth- er teams. The IOC will supply them with team uniforms, coaches and technical offi cials. The Olympic anthem will be played if any of the ath- letes wins a gold medal. The plan was fi rst announced by the IOC at the United Nations last October amid the still-continuing infl ux of migrants and refu- gees, many from Syria, into Europe. The IOC set up a $2 million fund for refugees and asked na- tional Olympic commit- tees to identify any dis- placed athletes in their countries who might be able to reach Olympic standard. Pere Miro, the IOC’s deputy director gener- al for relations with the Olympic movement, has been the point man in creating the team. Of the See ATHLETES on page 11
