There have been a rash of recent developments for driverless cars, also known as autonomous cars. Recently, Tesla introduced many owners to a gimmicky new feature called “summon”. They’ve also equipped many of their vehicles with “auto-pilot”, though if YouTube is to be believed, there is much work to be done. Ford and Google have signed agreements to work towards developing autonomous cars. Even Uber, the bane of taxi companies and municipal governments worldwide, unveiled their entry into the autonomous car market.
It has all caused a bit of a stir. Many high end vehicles are actually already equipped with technology that allows them to drive by themselves. While not completely autonomous, they are very interesting to drive. There is something unnerving, unnatural almost, as a driver, to take your hands off the steering wheel while driving along the freeway. It’s astonishing to witness the technology take over and keep the car, more or less, centered in the lane. This technology is definitely in its infancy, but considering the pace at which automotive innovation typically takes, it’s progressing at lightning pace. That pace is frightening to many automotive traditionalists, but exciting for many of the industry disruptors.
Consumers, the average buyer, should be taking note as well. The eventual takeover of the autonomous car is going to change how humanity drives. Implications of widespread autonomous vehicle use are wide ranging, but they shouldn’t scare us. As some have pointed out, there are privacy concerns. Others have questioned the impact on how many new cars are bought. Pretty much everybody questions how autonomous cars will handle moral dilemmas. None of these changes should scare us, however. They should spur a conversation.
Autonomous cars will soon be the solution to several major issues that plague today’s roads. Currently, driving is a very dangerous form of transportation. Over 32,000 people were killed in 2014 on US roads alone. The IIHS reports that 94% of those accidents were due to human error. Vehicle related issues accounted for 2%. People are still driving drunk and killing people. Almost half of passengers still refuse to wear seatbelts. Autonomous vehicles will bring drunks home safely. Autonomous vehicles won’t depart until all seatbelts are fastened. As more autonomous vehicles are on the road, accident numbers will drop. But more importantly, accidents will be far less likely to be fatal. Deaths will drop, and driving, on the whole, will become safer.
Gridlock will be something millennial generation’s grandchildren talk about in history class. With autonomous vehicles self-managing traffic conditions, merging and driving will be done with millimeter-like precision. Anyone who has seen the traffic scenes in iRobot caught a glimpse of what future rush hour will look like. Elimination of gridlock will ease a major stress point for highway commuters the world over. Autonomous vehicles, likely all actively connected, will automatically adapt routes based on real-time traffic which, in turn, is being reported by autonomous vehicles. Road systems are designed for certain volumes, something autonomous vehicles likely will eventually know and adjust for. This kind of big data is something human drivers can never use, no matter how hard we try.
There is an environmental impact to be considered as well. Autonomous vehicles are likely to reduce the number of cars we own. Since one vehicle can perform the commuter tasks of all family members, the need for two or three vehicles is eliminated. Fewer vehicles on the road translates to less emissions into the air. Even petrol and diesel powered autonomous cars will pollute less than their human powered predecessors. By choosing the most efficient routes, minutes can be shaved off trips. With gridlock all but eliminated, cars will no longer idly pollute urban centers. Even without a transition to alternative fuels, a freeway of autonomous cars will see a steep drop in greenhouse gas emissions.
As the widespread use of autonomous vehicles progresses, the automobile will truly mature as a form of mass transportation. The pleasure of an aimless drive will become less frequent, perhaps even frowned upon. Driving will become a lot like flying is today. There are those who fly for pleasure, and even less who own flying pleasure craft. But the vast majority of us pile into large, mostly autonomous, aircraft. Flying is a method to quickly get from here, to there. There is no thought of piloting, course, or any part of flight. Soon, driving, or riding, in autonomous cars will very much be like flying. You know your destination, but little care is given to the route, method and even speed at which you travel. For some, driving may be a skill they simply don’t have, as dangerous and saddening as that is.
There is little question that autonomous cars are coming. They are going to usher in the final stage of automobiles. There are significant positives to autonomous cars, and concerns which are yet to be addressed. In both cases we must keep an open mind, and open conversation. Traditionalists must realize this is the future of automobiles. But those driving innovation must realize this technology can’t be rushed. Do it wrong and the industry will be set back decades.