Statistics consistently show that an average of 90% of all life-taking car crashes are attributed to the inevitable aspects of human error. However, in this new age of technology, self-driving robot cars are slowly being introduced to the market, bringing the great potential of changing the way people drive, with quick response times, no distractions, and highly developed programs. But, the use of this potentially life-saving technology is met with much controversy, with one side advocating for its use, while the other side against it, claiming that as with all technology, there are risks such as mechanical and developmental errors, involved with the use of a robotic car, arguing that the potential benefits do not outweigh these risks. …show more content…
A picture of “Steve Mahan, who is blind, gestur[ing] for a steering wheel that doesn't exist inside a Waymo driverless car” (DuBravac), illustrates the potential freedom that robotic cars can bring to millions of disabled and elderly people. In this photo, Mahan as a blind man, is “operating” a vehicle, which is not a freedom exercised by people in his circumstance. However, due to the fact that robotic cars are self operating, this photo demonstrates the potential for the freedom of transport to the many who currently rely on other modes or other people. Shawn DuBravac, the chief economist of the Consumer Technology Association, reasons that the use of self-driving cars by those currently dependent on others for transportation, will “change how [they] get around and, as a result, what [they] do. [It] will change… [day to day] interactions… and choices--from how [they] commute to what [they] do for work.” (DuBravac). This reasoning elaborates that with the implementation of self-driving cars in mass society, a newfound freedom of mobility will change lives for the better, by allowing the currently dependent to be independent, in shaping what they do, their interactions with others, and the work they are able to pursue. The use of robotic cars in society will change the lives of millions of elderly and disabled people in a variety of favorable
The term autonomous refers to the capability of acting independently, or having the freedom to do so. A self-driving car is an autonomous car, which has the ability to sense its environment and navigating without any human operations. These types of cars are built to make safe and smart decisions on the road. In the past years, automobile companies have begun to introduce advanced driver assistance systems that are capable of parking, switching lanes, and braking in case of an emergency on their own, without the driver’s assistance. Automated vehicles are capable of maneuvering through street traffic, as well as other natural and man-made obstacles along the way. Therefore, this technology might completely change the methods of transportation.
Self-driving cars are now hitting a few roadways in America, and are showing people just a small glimpse into what could be the future of automobiles. Although Google’s self-driving cars are getting a lot of attention now, the idea of a self-driving car has been around for quite a while actually. These cars have been tested to their limits, but the American people have yet to adopt the technology into their everyday lives. A brief description of their history, how they work, and finally answer the question, will self-driving cars ever be adopted widely by the American public?
One reason driverless cars should replace human drivers is because they are safer and offer a comprehensive solution to a problem that plagues the entire world – automobile accidents. Currently, according to Ryan C. C. Chin, around 1.2 million deaths occur worldwide each year due to automotive accidents (1) and in the U.S. alone “more than 37,000 people died in car accidents in 2008, 90% of which died from human mistake” (Markoff 2). Most of these accidents involving human error are caused by fatigued, inattentive, or intoxicated drivers. However, according to Sergey Brin’s the Pros and...
While many people are all about autonomous cars and the benefits that they will bring to society, there are people who oppose driver less cars. Google has faced major censure from critics that are uneasy with the method that the automobile will u...
It was once envisioned that by the 2000’s people would be flying to work and living on different planets. The future held runways instead of garages and the 52nd state was to be Mars. Unfortunately, today people still drive themselves to work in cars not a flying apparatus, and the only thing living on another planet is the Mars rover Curiosity. But the part about people driving themselves might soon be a relic of the past. In 1939 Norman Bel Gaddes in a partnership with General motors showed off the first prototype for an autonomous vehicle (Are Self-Driving Cars Safe? , 2012). Unfortunately his idea was too early to ever truly come to fruition, but it is that idea that could lead to one of the greatest revisions of the automobile since the seatbelt. Semi or fully-autonomous vehicles are currently being developed by some of the greatest thinkers in the world. Google has been experimenting with and using them for several years in contained situations as have many auto manufacturers. Mr. Gaddes would be amazed by the leaps this technology has made in just this decade. While concerns with the legislation, liability and market acceptance could stall this technology, fully and semi-autonomous vehicles are the future for a quicker, safer and more efficient means of transport.
Moreover, accidents could not only happen because persons fail to override the system when they should have, but also because people override it when there really was no danger of the system causing an accident (Douma & Palodichuk, 2012). As the level of sophistication of autonomous cars improves, the possibility of interventions by the driver might cause more accidents than it helps to avoid. But even assuming such intervention was possible, if the person in question were sufficiently focussed, one might still question if people would be able to keep up the necessary attention over longer periods of time. Fully autonomous vehicles will only be market-ready (we assumed) once they drive more safely than the average human driver does. Of course, a driver may be aware of and responsible for his level of alertness.
Even though many believe driverless cars are both difficult to implement and potentially dangerous, humans are the underlying cause of both traffic-related incidents and fatalities; autonomous vehicles will operate without the weaknesses of humanity, thus significantly increasing safety. Smillie points out, “Crashes killed nearly 33,000 people in the United States and 1.25 million worldwide in 2013, and human error caused almost all of them. Cars that move by algorithm can communicate directly with one another and don’t fall asleep, get distracted by text messages or drink too much.” The fact that humans are being slaughtered annually within transportation is truly barbarous, especially when the technology needed to prevent such atrocities already exists; these technologies must be rapidly integrated into society.
These cars can help a lot of people that would of never had the ability to drive due to a mental or physical handicap. That being said, “the potential of a self-driver to help those with disabilities could be realized only if the human operator were taken out of the equation” (Stenquist). Such as a blind person, being an amputee, or having to be in a wheel chair. It could be used for the lazy ones that just do not want to drive. On the days, where a person did not get enough sleep, the night before, they could take a nap on the way to work. For a businessperson that needs to do some work on the way, now has the option to do so. If someone has had too much to drink and they cannot drive safely, then it would be a safe alternative. Even though there is so many reasons why having self-driving cars would help, there are situations in which it probably would not help at all. One of the weak points I see that so far, is that they are all dependent on a satellite-based navigation system, known as the global positioning system or (GPS) for short. If the car happens to drive through a rural area with no GPS; how will the car know its location and what would it do? The GPS is known for telling people to turn onto incoming traffic on a one-way street or told that they were driving on a street that did not existent. Something as simple as rain could affect the sensors on the car, which would make it impractical in areas with a lot of rain. A traffic light could go out and a police officer may be directing traffic; the car would have to know when stop and go based on a person’s hand signals, which would not be easy to differentiate from a bystander that is just moving their hands. The car would need to know the unique traffic laws that may only pertain to a certain area. If there were a hazard, such as a roadblock; how would the car react to a
Another safety benefit of the self-driving car is the issue of unsafe teen drivers on the roads. In a study conducted by Sheila Sarkar and Marie Andreas, fifty five percent of 1,430 teenage drivers admitted to engaging in risky behaviors while driving (Sarkar 687). The newscast regularly reports about fatal car accidents which involved teen drivers who were racing or driving drunk. In addition, teen drivers are a novice on the road and have a learning curve, this at times can be dangerous. Self-driving cars would not have the learning curve nor would they have the urge to drive unsafe like many teens
Inventors hope to help people with autonomous cars because “autonomous cars can do things that human drivers can’t” (qtd. in “Making Robot Cars More Human). One of the advantages that driverless cars have is that “They can see through fog or other inclement weather, and sense a stalled car or other hazard ahead and take appropriate action” (qtd. in “Making Robot Cars More Human). Harsh weather conditions make it difficult and dangerous for people to drive, however, the car’s ability to drive through inclement weather “frees the user’s time, creates opportunities for individuals with less mobility, and increases overall road safety” (Bose 1326). With all the technology and software in the car, it can “improve road traffic system[s] and reduces road accidents” (Kumar). One of the purposes for creating the driverless car was to help “make lives easier for senior citizens, people with disabilities, people who are ill, or people who are under influence of alcohol” (Kumar). It can be frightening to know that that we share share our roads with drivers that could potentially endanger our lives as well as other people’s lives. How can people not feel a sense of worry when “cars kill roughly 32,000 people a year in the U.S.” (Fisher 60)? Drivers who text while driving or drink and drive greatly impact the safety of other people, and Google hopes to reduces the risk of accidents and save lives with the
For some time now, autonomous technology has been tested and developed by various engineers and multinational companies. Despite this, the thought of a car without someone in control raises feelings of doubt and disbelief. However, as autonomous technology advances, one-day people may no longer be behind the steering wheel. With the release of the autonomous vehicle, how will that change society and the
In theory, the autonomous car is amazing, unfortunately the reality is far more dim. There are so many things wrong with autonomous cars, and no one wants to face the harsh reality of all the problems. Safety is the main reason people would want an autonomous car, however robots don’t learn, they have to be programmed. Most people only trust autonomous cars because of the science behind them. Believing that science can do better than humans, on the surface that can seem true.
Driving is the significant and joyful exploration to life. Self-driving with a particular destination to go means no human participation in driving process, which could disconnect the interaction between the human body and the motorized force, deprive people of the joy of exploration and impair the sense of operations including steering wheel or the gearstick. As a result, the driving pleasure would evaporate considerably (Barton, 2014). Most importantly, if the drivers are conditioned to the self-driving systems, the society would be facing as concerns mount that the self-driving systems
The implementation of self-driving cars in modern society will create threats to the safety of human drivers as well as pedestrians. Companies such as Uber, Tesla, and Volvo have begun to test their autonomous cars over the past decade. They have been in the spotlight more often over the past two years as the technology is quickly advancing and the cars are becoming available for public use. Recently, the majority of the headlines have been negative, most of which dealing with fatalities of the operators. Recently reported by The New York Times, Elaine Herzberg, a 49 year old resident of Arizona, was hit by a Volvo XC90 car while walking her bike across the road.
Automotive executives touting self-driving cars as a way to make commuting more productive or relaxing may want to consider another potential marketing pitch: safety (Hirschauge, 2016). The biggest reason why these cars will make a safer world is that accident rates will enormously drop. There is a lot of bad behavior a driver exhibit behind the wheel, and a computer is actually an ideal motorist. Since 81 percent of car crashes are the result of human error, computers would take a lot of danger out of the equation entirely. Also, some of the major causes of accidents are drivers who become ill at the time of driving. Some of the examples of this would be a seizure, heart attack, diabetic reactions, fainting, and high or low blood pressure. Autonomous cars will surely remedy these types of occurrences making us