After spending my first time in a Tesla, an electric autonomous car, I always wondered how efficient these types of cars were compared to, driver dependent cars. When I was in the Tesla, it seemed that the car had a mind of its own, making decisions right from wrong and understanding when to stop and go without any help from the driver. I thought this was too good to be true and feared that something may go wrong, but we reached our destination just fine. However, I kept thinking of terrible possibilities that could occur when we were driving such as getting hacked or the computer inside the car making a mistake. Even though autonomous cars is the next step in technology, we still need to decide whether it's safe or not to be driven on the
Have you ever feared that your loved one or even someone very close to you will be involved in a fatal car accident every time they left the house? Drunk driving is a factor in nearly one-third of all fatal accidents. Even if you aren’t the one driving, you are still at risk any moment to get involved in an accident that could’ve been prevented. By legalizing fully self-driving cars, we won’t have to fear the pain of losing a loved one. We could have a quick fix to all of this madness easily. The number of traffic accidents are soaring at 1.3 million deaths a year. Drunk Driving is still one of the number one causes of vehicle deaths; therefore, the government should allow self-driving cars to become legal to combat the issue. If we don’t act now to combat this issue we will have to deal with the consequences it will bring.
Companies like Google, Tesla and Nissan, among others, have announced over the past few years that their companies are trying to develop self-driving or autonomous cars [Ref. 1 and 2]. Self-driving cars can provide many benefits to the average consumer. Studies have shown that because computers can react and process information many times faster than a human being, crashes on streets and roads can be decreased with quick and consistent evasion maneuvers by the autonomous car. They can also help maximize fuel economy by calculating the most direct and fastest routes. When the driving of an autonomous car demonstrates that the computer can safely and reliably transport the passengers to their destination, this frees up the passengers to do other things that they would not normally be able to do if they were driving the car manually. For this reason, self-driving cars can help maximize productivity of their passengers.
While there have been surveys to understand how people feel about self-driving vehicles, they only surveyed a little over a thousand, which isn’t comparable to the millions of people who actually drive cars (Degroat). Many, more than 70 percent, do believe that autonomic vehicles will reduce accidents, the severity of the crash, and help the fuel economy, nearly as many are concerned about the way the car will perform under unusual or unexpected circumstances, as compared to the way a human could react and perform, along with if the vehicle would have any system malfunctions (Degroat). Even though the car companies are working on the technology to make the cars safe and dependable, it would be easy for someone to “hack” into the vehicle to steal it, or take personal information from the vehicle like where they have been and where they plan to go (Degroat). Many also wonder how well the car will do under different climate and driving circumstances; will the car’s mechanics and equipment work well in a tropical or artic like environment, or how will it interact in New York City as opposed to a very rural and rugged environment like a farm. With the sensors and cameras attached to the car, will it be able to tell the difference and respond differently among other vehicles, pedestrians, and non-motored objects on the
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.
On May 7th, 2016, Joshua Brown became the first casualty of an autonomous car crash. Many other automobile accidents occurred that day, and some of those accidents also resulted in death. Mr. Brown’s accident gathered widespread attention because the autonomous car he was riding in failed, while in autopilot mode, to identify a transport truck crossing the highway and the result was a tragedy. This incident serves as a warning that automation only makes us more safe if we remain engaged in the task of driving. The National Safety Council believes that there is a road to zero deaths and this road involves automation of driver functions (NSC, n.d.), but what is our responsibility as drivers in this time of increasing automation?
Self-driving cars are the wave of the future. There is much debate regarding the impact a self-driving car will have on our society and economy. Some experts believe fully autonomous vehicles will be on the road in the next 5-10 years (Anderson). This means a vehicle will be able to drive on the road without a driver or any passengers. Like any groundbreaking technology, there is a fear of the unforeseen problems. Therefore, there will need to be extensive testing before anyone can feel safe with a vehicle of this style on the road. It will also take time for this type of technology to become financially accessible to the masses, but again alike any technology with time it should be possible. Once the safety concern has been fully addressed
Technology is evolving faster than ever these days, however there is one technology that could revolutionize the transportation industry. This technology is called autonomous cars, also known as self-driving cars. Autonomous cars can be defined as a vehicle that is capable of sensing its environment, and navigating without human input. Using different techniques such as GPS and radar, autonomous cars can detect surroundings, thus removing the human element in driving. This would have a positive effect in more ways than we could ever imagine. Research suggests that self-driving cars will become more abundant in the future because they will be more cost-effective, enhance safety, and decrease traffic congestion.
Many feel that driverless cars are the future of the automobile industry. When someone hears “Robot cars hitting the road soon” is that a guarantee that the roads will still remain safe? With the rapid growth of technology through the centuries, more specifically computer software, the issue arises of whether or not roads and other drivers will be safe behind the wheel. Currently there is very little knowledge on how driverless cars will be engineered, which brings concerns to peoples eyes. Subsequently, driverless cars can be prone to hacking, which leads to out of control situations for drivers behind the wheel.
Autopilot, the self-driving feature in the new Tesla car, is a controversial subject because it puts the car’s computer in control of all driving responsibilities. To activate this autonomous mode, all the driver has to do is push a button and the computer has full control of the vehicle. The sole responsibility of the driver is to pay close attention to the way the car brakes, steers, and accelerates, while in autopilot mode. Amazingly, there has only been one known fatality involving a Tesla vehicle while driving in autopilot. In an article written by Jordan Golson and published by The Verge, this first fatality in a Tesla vehicle driving in autopilot is covered with great detail.
Over the recent years, there has been a major question that is still being debated even today. The question is should we allow driverless cars on our roads. Many people are supporting that we should allow driverless cars on the road. But other people don’t like the idea of driverless cars on the road. The driverless cars will affect these three areas that all the people care about the most.
Although autonomous cars have many benefits, they still pose a threat to our economy by replacing or getting rid of jobs that relies on human drivers. As time flies by, technology will start to evolve to help autonomous cars become safer and healthier for our environment than humans driving around in a manually operated gas-powered cars that puts our life in danger. The cleaner our environment from using electric autonomous cars over combustion engine vehicles, then there would less kids with autism. Autonomous cars aim to get rid of all of our driving errors by taking the wrong turn, being stuck in a traffic jam, driving around in circles to find a parking spot, or getting lost on the way to your destination. I think it’s important that the future autonomous cars keeps on improving to becoming safer while giving us the passenger some control over the car or else we wouldn’t be able to save ourselves from a dangerous situation if the robot for some reason fails on us. I think in the future we will see more autonomous cars being safe, efficient, eco-friendly and traveling long distances on a single charge. I could see autonomous cars becoming cheaper to buy and easier maintain with car manufacturers like Tesla, Google, Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, General Motors, Mercedes, Audi, Volvo, and many more are investing to lead the way in making future autonomous cars. All in all we will just have to wait and see how autonomous cars will work out for
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 October 2015, Tesla released its 7.0 software update that introduced Autopilot, a system that functions like an airplane’s autopilot when conditions are clear (The Tesla Motors Team, 2015). It is designed to relieve “drivers of the most tedious and potentially dangerous aspects of road travel,” but humans are still in control and responsible for the car (The Tesla Motors Team, 2015). The system can steer, match the speed of traffic or the speed limit, and change lanes, but is limited to highway use for now (Mills, 2015). It is also connected to the entire fleet of Tesla vehicles equipped with the system and will learn over time and improve (Scherer,
It was confirmed in May, that a Tesla Model S crashed into a passing truck, killing the Model S passenger. Tesla’s Model S was operating completely on autopilot. This incident was the first fatal crash involving autonomous driving technology. This incident enlightened policymakers around the world of the downside of autonomous driving. With driver-less cars at the doorstep of mainstream society, how does autonomy affect the sustainability of the transportation industry?
Vehicles with self-driving options and capabilities can be expected as soon as 2020, while fully self-driving cars, experts say, will not be available until at least 2030 (Gibbs). Meanwhile, Google is currently testing autonomous cars for severe weather by testing their cars near Seattle where heavy rainfall is common (Solon). Some cars today already offer self-driving features such as the Tesla Model S and the XC90 model from Volvo (Gibbs). Though it may take a long time before fully autonomous cars are on the road, cars with self-driving features are becoming more accessible to the general public-- giving hope to the future of driverless