Machine-Operated Vehicles for the Reduction of Road Accidents

Machine-Operated Vehicles for the Reduction of Road Accidents

Introduction

Road accidents continue to be a significant global problem, causing immense human suffering and economic losses. Every year, millions of people are injured or killed in accidents largely attributed to human error. However, there is hope on the horizon with the advent of driverless vehicles, which offer a promising solution to this pressing issue.

Current State of Road Accidents

In 2020, there were over 1.35 million road traffic fatalities worldwide, with countless more suffering injuries. These accidents are often the result of human errors such as distracted driving, speeding, and impaired driving. Despite efforts to improve road safety through awareness campaigns and stricter regulations, accidents remain a major concern.

Key facts based on WHO:

- Approximately 1.19 million people die each year as a result of road traffic crashes.

Road traffic injuries are the leading cause of death for children and young adults aged 5–29 years.

- 92%t of the world's fatalities on the roads occur in low- and middle-income countries, even though these countries have around 60% of the world's vehicles.

- More than half of all road traffic deaths are among vulnerable road users, including pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists.

- Road traffic crashes cost most countries 3% of their gross domestic product. 

Credit: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/tag/road-accidents/

How Driverless Vehicles Work

Driverless vehicles, also known as autonomous or self-driving cars, rely on a combination of advanced technologies to navigate roads without human intervention. These technologies include sensors, cameras, radar, lidar, and artificial intelligence algorithms. By continuously scanning their surroundings, driverless vehicles can perceive obstacles, detect pedestrians and other vehicles, and make split-second decisions to ensure safe navigation.

Advantages of Driverless Vehicles

1. Reduced Human Error: Driverless vehicles eliminate the risk of human error, which is a leading cause of accidents. By removing distractions and fatigue from the equation, they offer safer transportation.

2. Constant Vigilance: Unlike human drivers, driverless vehicles can maintain a constant vigilance over their surroundings, detecting and reacting to potential hazards in real-time.

3. Adaptive Driving: Driverless vehicles are capable of adapting to various road conditions, weather, and traffic situations more effectively than humans, thanks to their sophisticated sensors and algorithms.

4. Improved Traffic Flow: Through communication and coordination, driverless vehicles can optimize traffic flow, reducing congestion and minimizing the likelihood of accidents.

5. Accessibility: Driverless technology has the potential to provide transportation solutions for people who are unable to drive due to age, disability, or other reasons, thus enhancing mobility for all.

Challenges and Concerns

1. Technology Reliability: Concerns persist regarding the reliability of driverless technology, including system failures and vulnerabilities to cyberattacks.

2. Regulatory Challenges: Clear regulations and standards are needed to ensure the safety and legality of driverless vehicles on public roads, presenting a significant challenge for policymakers.

3. Ethical Dilemmas: Driverless vehicles raise ethical questions, such as how they should prioritize different scenarios in the event of an unavoidable accident.

4. Transition Period: The transition from human-driven to driverless vehicles poses challenges in terms of public acceptance, infrastructure changes, and coexistence with traditional vehicles.

Opposition from Existing Human-Driven Vehicle Model Businesses

While machine-operated vehicles promise safer roads and enhanced mobility, they face opposition from existing human-driven vehicle model businesses, mainly due to the following reasons:

Loss of Business: The widespread adoption of machine-operated vehicles could lead to a decline in demand for traditional human-driven vehicles, impacting the sales and profitability of automotive manufacturers and dealerships.

Job Displacement: The shift to machine-operated vehicles may result in job losses for drivers employed in transportation sectors such as taxis, delivery services, and public transit.

Resistance to Change: Established automotive companies and related industries may resist the transition to machine-operated vehicles due to the significant changes required in their business models, supply chains, and workforce.

Case Studies and Success Stories

Several companies have made significant strides in the development and deployment of driverless technology. Waymo, a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., operates a fleet of autonomous taxis in select cities, providing safe and efficient transportation services. Tesla's Autopilot system, though not fully autonomous, has demonstrated the potential for advanced driver assistance features. Additionally, autonomous shuttles have been deployed in various locations, showcasing the viability of driverless technology in specific contexts.

Future Outlook

As driverless technology continues to evolve and improve, we can expect further reductions in road accidents and improvements in road safety. With continued investment, innovation, and collaboration, driverless vehicles have the potential to revolutionize transportation, making our roads safer for everyone.

Conclusion

Driverless vehicles offer a promising solution to the persistent problem of road accidents. By eliminating human error, adapting to various road conditions, and improving traffic flow, they have the potential to significantly reduce accidents and make our roads safer. While challenges remain, the future of transportation looks brighter with the advancement of driverless technology.

References

WHO https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/road-traffic-injuries

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First Sign of Civilization in a Culture

 First Sign of Civilization in a Culture

"Years ago, anthropologist Margaret Mead was asked by a student what she considered to be the first sign of civilization in a culture. The student expected Mead to talk about fishhooks or clay pots or grinding stones.

Anthropologist Margaret Mead- Credit:www.hellandearth.com

But no. Mead said that the first sign of civilization in an ancient culture was a femur (thighbone) that had been broken and then healed. Mead explained that in the animal kingdom, if you break your leg, you die. You cannot run from danger, get to the river for a drink or hunt for food. You are meat for prowling beasts. No animal survives a broken leg long enough for the bone to heal.

A broken femur that has healed is evidence that someone has taken time to stay with the one who fell, has bound up the wound, has carried the person to safety and has tended the person through recovery. Helping someone else through difficulty is where civilization starts, Mead said."

We are at our best when we serve others. Be civilized.

Source: www.hellandearth.com

Inversion ในภาษาอังกฤษคืออะไร เพราะอะไร และใช้อย่างไร

Inversion คืออะไร เพราะอะไร และใช้อย่างไร 

Inversion in English Grammar: What it is, Why, and How to Use It

โดย ผศ. ดร. จันทร์พา ทัดภูธร

ว่ากันว่า หนึ่งในหัวข้อทาง Grammar (ที่ค่อนข้างยาก) ที่ผู้เรียนภาษาอังกฤษควรรู้คือ Inversion หรือการสลับตำแหน่งของคำ โดยเฉพาะอย่างยิ่ง Subject กับ Verb

ง่ายๆ เลยก็คือ Inversion คือ การสลับตำแหน่งของคำในรูปประโยคของภาษานั่นเอง Inversion หน้าตาจะประมาณนี้ครับ

Slowly and quietly, on the rooftop walked the cat. 

Had you arrived five minutes earlier, you wouldn’t have missed the train. Should she ask, tell her the reservations were made for Friday's meeting.

Never before have I seen such a great show. 

(Standard Order: "I have never seen such a great show before." )

Little did I know he was already in the hospital. = I was unaware he was in the hospital.

Credit: https://www.azquotes.com/quote/523188#google_vignette

หลักทางไวยากรณ์ระบุว่า "When clause begins with an adjunct, the normal order of subject and verb group can sometimes be inverted (Collins COBUILD English Grammar)." (p. 285).
One might ask what an adjunct is. 

Adjunct คืออะไร An adjunct is an optional element in a sentence that provides additional information but isn't essential for the core meaning. It can be a phrase or another clause.

Slowly ในประโยค She walked to the store slowly. ถือว่าเป้น ส่วนเสริม ดังนั้นเราสามารถแต่งประโยค ได้ว่า Slowly, walked she into the room. Inversion จะเป็นการปรับ สิ่งที่เรียกว่า Normal Order เช่น

• Normal order of subject and verb group: In English, sentences typically follow a Subject-Verb order (e.g., "The cat walked slowly and quietly on the rooftop.)

• Inverted: When the sentence structure is inverted, the verb group comes before the subject. (e.g., "Out came the dog").

ตัวอย่าง:

• Normal order: The fire alarm blared (subject - verb) when I was cooking dinner. (when clause)
• Inverted order: When I was cooking dinner, blared the fire alarm. (when clause with inverted order - verb - subject)

สิ่งที่ต้องรับทราบก็คือ ว่าทั้งสองรูปประโยคนั้นถูกต้อง ตามหลักไวยากรณ์ Both sentences are grammatically correct, but the inverted order adds emphasis or a sense of drama to the situation.

ตัวอย่างเพิ่มเติม

Onto the stage, came the champion.  

Coming up (will be /is) the man who first went into space with his dog. พิธีกรรายการโทรทัศน์ TV host เกริ่นนำก่อนเบรคโฆษณา 

- Next to the closet, stood a pile of used books.

- Beyond the barn, lay the a large rice field.

Sentence 1: Next to it, stood a pile of used books.

• Adjunct: "Next to it" This adverbial phrase describes the location of the pile of books.
• Inversion: The normal order would be "A pile of used books stood next to it." However, the sentence inverts the subject ("a pile of used books") and verb ("stood") to place emphasis on the location ("Next to it").

Sentence 2: Beyond the barn, lay a huge rice field.

• Adjunct: "Beyond the barn" This adverbial phrase describes the location of the rice field.
• Inversion: Similar to the first sentence, the expected order would be "The huge rice field lay beyond the barn." Here, the inversion puts the location ("Beyond the barn") at the forefront, potentially creating a sense of discovery or vastness.

When to Use Inversion? เราใช้ Inversion เมื่อไร

Inversion happens when we reverse (invert) the normal word order of a structure, most commonly the subject-verb word order.

บางครั้งเราสลับคำเพื่อ เน่น หรือ ให้ความสำคัญกับ สาร (information) บางอย่าง เช่นในประโยค

Slowly, quietly....walked the cat (on the rooftop). เราต้องการ Highlight อาการ หรือ ท่าทางของแมว
ที่ทำเช่นนั้นก็อาจจะเพื่อสร้าง Dramatic effect หรือ ความรู้สึกให้เกิดกับการบรรยาย เพื่อให้น่าสนใจมากขึ้นนั่นเอง

For example, a statement has the subject (s) before the verb (v), but to make question word order, we invert the subject and the verb, with an auxiliary (aux) or modal verb (m) before the subject (s)

Inversion is a grammatical structure where the usual word order of a sentence is reversed. We often use inversion for stylistic reasons, to emphasize certain elements of a sentence or to achieve a particular rhythm or tone. Here are some common cases where inversion occurs:

1. เพื่อเน้น Emphasis: Inversion is often used to put emphasis on certain words or phrases by moving them to the beginning of a sentence. For example:

   - Into the room walked a strange figure. (Emphasizing "a strange figure") เรื่องที่เล่าสู่กันฟัง (New Information)

   - Never have I seen such a beautiful sunset. (Emphasizing เน้นคำว่า ไม่เคย "never")

ภาษาไทยเราก็มีการใช้ Inversion เช่นกัน ตัวอย่าง เช่น

ฉันไม่เคยมองคนอื่นนอกจากคุณ 
Never have I set my eyes on any person except you.
Normal Order: "I have never set my eyes on any person except you."

ไม่เคยเลยที่ฉันจะมองหญิงอื่น นอกจากเธอคนเดียว - อะไรประมาณนี้

2. Formal or Literary Style: Inversion is common in formal or literary writing to create a more sophisticated or elevated tone.

   - "Seldom does he speak about his childhood."

   - "Not only did she finish the project on time, but she also exceeded expectations."

- Not only can Tim speak English well, but his Chinese is also fluent.

3. Questions: Inverted word order is used in questions, where the auxiliary verb or modal verb comes before the subject.

   - "Have you seen the new movie?"

   - "Can you help me with this?"

4. Conditionals and Inversions with "Had": Inversion is used in conditional sentences and with "had" to indicate past unreal situations.

   - "Had I known about the traffic, I would have left earlier."

   - "Were I rich, I would travel the world."

5. Negative Adverbs or Adverbial Phrases: Inversion is often used with negative adverbs or adverbial phrases to create emphasis or a more formal tone.

   - "Under no circumstances should you open that door."

   - "In no way did she intend to offend anyone."

การใช้ประโยค Inversion สามารถเพิ่มความหลากหลายและความลึกซึ้งให้กับการเขียน แต่การใช้อย่างเหมาะสมก็สำคัญเช่นกัน เพราะการใช้มากเกินไปอาจทำให้การเขียนดูเป็นทางการหรือแข็งเกินไป

When does inversion happen?

Negative adverbs

In formal styles, when we use an adverb with negative meaning (e.g. never, seldom, rarely, scarcely, hardly) in front position for emphasis, we invert the subject (s) and auxiliary (aux)/modal verb:

- Never have we we witnessed such cruel behavior by one child to another. (or We have never witnessed …)

- Seldom does one hear a politician say ‘sorry’. (or One seldom hears …)

Expressions beginning with not

We also invert the subject and verb after not + a prepositional phrase or a clause in initial position:

Not for a moment did I think I would be offered the job, so I was amazed when I got it.

Not till I got home did I realize my wallet was missing.

Here and there

Inversion can happen after here, and after there when it is as an adverb of place. After here and there, we can use a main verb without an auxiliary verb or modal verb:

- Here comes the bus!

- Here’s your coffee.

I opened the door and there stood Michael, all covered in mud.

- She looked out and there was Pamela, walking along arm in arm with Tim.

ในฐานะศิษย์เก่า AFS ผมยังจำ Lyrics ของเพลงที่เคยร้องสมัยยังเป็น Teenager ได้

เนื้อเพลงท่อนหนึ่งมีว่า

*Walk together, Talk together all ye people of the earth

Then and only then, Shall we have peace*

ส่วนที่ว่า "Then and only then shall we have peace" เป็นตัวอย่างที่ดีของการสลับคำ

(a good example of inversion).

นับเป็นท่อนที่ส่งเสริมสันติภาพนะครับ  - a slogan promoting unity and peace

• Standard order: We would typically say "We shall have peace then and only then." (Subject - verb - object)
• Inversion: The sentence flips the order, placing "Then and only then" (adverbial phrase) before the verb "shall have" and subject "we."

สรุป Inversion ทำหน้าที่ 3 ประการ

Absolutely! Here's an explanation of the three functions of inversion in simpler terms, with improved examples:

1. To emphasize something negative:

Normally, negatives like "not" come before the verb. Inversion lets us switch that order to make the negative stronger.

• Regular sentence: I didn't know that he was admitted to the hospital.
• Inversion for emphasis: Little did I know that he was audited to the hospital. (Stronger emphasis on "never")

2. To emphasize when something happens:

Regular sentence: Yesterday, we went to the park.

• Inversion for emphasis: Yesterday, we went to the park. (Highlights the importance of "yesterday")

Be careful! This type of inversion is more common in spoken English and informal writing.

3. Just to add variety:

Sometimes, flipping the word order can make your writing sound more interesting and less boring. But use this sparingly!

• Regular sentence: The ice cream was delicious.
• Inversion for variation: Delicious was the ice cream! (Highlights the "deliciousness")
  Draws Attention: By flipping the usual subject-verb order, inversion disrupts the listener's expectations and grabs their attention. Imagine a speaker saying "Peace we shall have!" instead of "We shall have peace." The first option is definitely more striking.

Inversion ไม่ยากเลย ใช่ไหมครับ :-)