Self Driving Cars

Although we’ve had various futuristic cars represented in the entertainment industry in popular movies, like “Back to the Future”, we’ve arrived at a time where self-driving cars are speeding their way into our lives. Autonomous cars have always been something of the future, something almost inconceivable, but in recent years they’ve stepped into the spotlight with the enticing idea of driverless roads. Companies like Tesla, Google, and Uber have even begun putting this idea to the test by sending self-driving cars to the streets in major cities like Boston, San Francisco, and Pittsburgh (Aarian Marshall 1). The reality of these advanced vehicles is drawing nearer with the continuing progress made with Automated Driving Systems (ADS). Admittedly, …show more content…
After all, an automatic vehicle isn’t capable of human tendencies, like drinking, sleep deprivation, or being diverted. As a matter of fact, drunk driving precipitates 29% of serious car accidents, while 10% is due to distracted driving (Maria Temming 1). In other words, driverless vehicles can be trusted to drive without human flaws and stay alert during transportation, giving them the potential to help save lives and prevent injuries. This is considering that 94% of car accidents are as a result of human error (United States Department of Transportation 5). Furthermore, self-driving cars will have the option to share valuable information regarding traffic or road hindrances for smooth driving (Neel V. Patel 1). This way autonomous cars can coordinate and communicate with other vehicles on the road. Granted, it is true that people tend to veer more on the fear and worrisome side of automatic vehicles with a shocking 73% of millennials and 85% of the late middle-aged admitting to being perturbed by the thought of self-driving cars, according to a survey taken by the American Automobile Association (Temming 1). However, be that as it may, autonomous cars are far safer than a typical car and will continue to improve with the growth of …show more content…
In a study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, automobile crashes in 2010 led to a loss of $242 billion in the economy as well as a costly $57.6 billion in lost labor (USDOT 6). These inordinate costs can be considerably reduced with the inclusion of self-driving cars on the streets and an additional $594 billion can be saved with a decrease in car accident related casualties (USDOT 6). Moreover, automated vehicles can clear up gridlock and facilitate traffic flow, which can save a generous amount of time as in 2014, approximately 6.9 billion hours were wasted in the U.S., while stuck in traffic (USDOT 6). That is, with self-driving cars, traffic congestion can almost be eliminated and save everyone a great deal of time. Likewise, almost an hour a day can be spent in ways other than commuting with the use of autonomous cars (USDOT 6). On the other hand, self-driving vehicles may have certain limitations, including being overly cautious and a lack in edge detection (Marshall 2). Nevertheless, automatic vehicles are still superior to ordinary cars as they are more efficient and beneficial in saving money and

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