Did you know that 81 percent of car crashes are due to human error? Lately, the media has constantly been discussing ways to make the road a safer place. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, traffic incidents kill upwards of 33,000 people every year. Car accidents cause distress for individuals; however, many of these accidents can be avoided since a disturbing number are a consequence of inattentive driving. The solution: the self-driving car.
The idea of self-driving cars seems like something that belongs in a futuristic movie, but if you think about it, it’s quite a good idea. Believe it or not, many companies have already come out with models. The reality is that most accidents are caused by drivers, so why wouldn’t we turn to this great solution? Mercedes, BMW and Tesla have already released vehicles or are soon to release vehicles that contain the self--driving feature. This component of the car gives it some ability to drive itself.
Impressively, tech companies have also begun to lay the groundwork for their own unique models of the self--driven car. Recently, Google declared that it would be testing its first prototype of a “driverless” car. The prototype was released on roads this summer in California. Currently, people can test drive these vehicles in Washington, D.C., Nevada, Florida, Michigan and California. As stated by Google’s director of the self-driving car program, Chris Urmson, “Google’s vehicles are better all around: They are more courteous and more defensive drivers than normal drivers.”
Distraction, speeding, failure to abide by the road laws, or driving while under the influence can all be quite risky and hazardous. All of these factors have a likelihood of happening every time a driver turns the ignition key. But this is not inevitably true for self-driving cars.
There are numerous reasons why the self--driven car could bring great improvement for our society overall. Firstly, handicap individuals, who most often have to rely heavily on public transportation or help from others to get around, could really benefit from these vehicles. Some of these benefits include new freedom and the improved ability of mobility.
Additionally, computers use complex algorithms to figure out suitable stopping distances from another vehicle and other data that limits the odds of car accidents. On the other hand, the U.S. Department of Transportation gives a value of $9.2 million for each human life. So, there would be major cost savings in many different areas. These areas include insurance and health care costs.
Lastly, drunk driving incidents would most likely decrease since there is no one actually controlling a car that drives by itself. Police officers could shift their focus to more severe crimes and accidents rather than incidents that deal with cars on the road.
There is certainly a lot of fascination on how self-driven cars might impact transportation in the future. However, research and testing are still continuing. For now, it is looking like a great solution to avoid the many setbacks of regular vehicles.
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