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The problem of traffic congestion
Negative affects on self driving cars
The Effects of Traffic Congestion
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Malea Sperling Mr. Pohl College Prep English 12 21 March 2018 Self-driving Cars The number of collisions keep on increasing, and for those who cannot drive are still waiting for a safer way to be able to drive without assistance, yet there are many elderly and disabled people who cannot drive, while others are irritated of occasional traffic all the time. Fears of driving are caused mainly by traffic congestions, but if there were more autonomous vehicles, everybody would be able to drive without the cooperation of another driver or anxiety of what dilemma would arise with the vehicle on the road. However, not everybody is pleased with the new invention. While there are concerns about if autonomous cars would see the vehicle in front of it, …show more content…
Distractions, including texting and driving, are the main purpose of destructions caused by human error. According to Self-Driving Cars, “Over 3,000 people die every day from crashes caused by distracted driving.” If there were more driverless cars, not only would the distractions be discriminated, the flow of traffic would also be running smoothly. As stated in Autonomous Vehicles, “even a small percentage of autonomous vehicles (5 percent) could have a significant impact in eliminating waves and reducing the total fuel consumption by up to 40 percent and the braking events by up to 99 percent.” As for the elderly, self-driving cars would mean more than just safety. “Sensor and autonomous technologies can transform automotive safety and convenience for preexisting American drivers, but they can do more; they can increase mobility for the elderly and Americans with disabilities who may be constrained from driving altogether” (Huffington). In addition to the safety of the preexisting driver, the elderly who cannot drive anymore would still be able to own a vehicle so they can still travel without the difficulty of …show more content…
Yes, there have been accidents, but as Autonomous Vehicles stated,“by controlling the pace of the autonomous car in their field experiments, the autonomous car controlled the traffic flow by dissipating the stop-and-go waves so that traffic wasn't oscillating as it does when all of the cars are driven by humans.” The researchers of the article, originally from “NewsRx Science,” uses analysis from a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at VerticalNews and the Washington Auto Show to test their hypothesis if autonomous vehicles would improve traffic flow using theory of traffic flow, robotics, cyber-physical systems, and transportation engineering. There is still safety concerns with traffic and accidents, but the goal is to not only make sure that the driverless cars are safe, but to make traveling more comfortable and enjoyable feeling for everyone, and to reduce the chance of accidents due to human mistakes in driving. America has safety issues about driving, especially the disabled and the elderly, but the new technology fears and concerns are slowing citizens
There will be a day when driving will not require a license. Children will be traveling on their own, teens will be texting while driving, adults will be doing their jobs while driving, and the elderly who are visually or physically impaired will be able to transport themselves (Symonds). This will be made possible through new technological car advancements that will enable a car to be driverless. With technology increasing exponentially, and our everyday lives getting busier and busier, we need a solution. Weeks of productivity are lost each year by Americans (Pollette). Driverless cars will cause this issue to vanish by reducing delays and smoothing traffic flow (Winston). Most technology will have flaws, and this is also true for driverless cars’ technology. Improvements are being made to enhance the car (Pollette), but accidents will still take place. Despite the flaws, driverless cars will make trips shorter, and when trips are long, we will be able to multitask.
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...
The goals behind self-driving cars are to decrease collisions, traffic jams and the use of gas and harmful pollutants. The autonomous automobile is able to maneuver around objects and create swift lines of cars on roadways (How Google’s self-Driving Car Works, 2011). The autonomous vehicle can react faster than humans can, meaning less accidents and the potential to save thousands of lives. Another purpose and vision for these cars is that vehicles would become a shared resource. When someone needed a car, he or she could just use his or her Smartphone and a self-sufficient car would drive up and pick him or her up.
Self driving cars would make life easier, wouldn’t they? Car companies are now working on and developing them to create safer roads and ultimately make life easier for everyone. However, there are a number of concerns that need to be addressed in order for this to happen, if it even does. The idea of having driverless cars on the roads, comes with safety problems such as, difficulties with generating maps, and it could also cost too much money to work. Driverless cars wouldn’t be a better alternative to normal human driven cars because their advantages don’t make up for their disadvantages.
It is estimated that we are only using 5% of the road and if we had 100% self-driving cars on the road the number will jump to 80% [3]. That is 16 times more efficient, which could translate to about 16 times faster traffic. The ride itself will be faster, but not sixteen times faster. This number is for traffic speed, such as at heavy traffic times. What the survey and the data show that people are not informed enough about self-driving cars. When people do not know all the facts, they cannot make a fair judgement on the topic. Also when in a situation without all the facts, things can get scary, like when a car is driving you somewhere and you do not know how it is driving or how it works. This fear or discomfort caused by lack of information is one of the causes of why people do not like self-driving
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
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
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
You are sitting in the backseat of your driverless car without a care in the world, watching netflix and enjoying your favorite assortment of snacks and beverages. All of a sudden your car goes from the speed limit to full throttle in one jolt and take off down the freeway. The car is not designed to go this fast and the other cars do not have time to react. Is this really what you want in a truly driverless car, having no control over the situation and putting your life in the hands of autonomic machine? Driverless cars should not be introduced to the common public because of deadly errors in the cars system, problems with the laws and regulations, and the role humans play in these cars.
The engineering that goes into a driverless car covers all areas of mechanics, computing software and so on which still tends to frighten some drivers of its monstrosity on the inside. In the article “Google Cars Becoming Safer: Let the Robots Drive” it states that, “The economic lift from ridding the roads of human-driven vehicles would be over $190 billion per year. That would primarily come from reducing property damage caused by low-speed collisions”(Salkever). The point is that when driverless cars hit the road the cost of low-speed collision and save consumers money will be reduced. In the article “ Google Driverless Cars Run Into Problem: Cars With Drivers” Slakever states that “One Google car, in a test in 2009, couldn’t get through a four-way stop because its sensors kept waiting for other (human) drivers to stop completely and let it go. The human drivers kept inching forward, looking for the advantage — paralyzing Google’s robot”(Bosker). Current drivers have never followed the rule of the road, which have made the road more prone to any accident. Drivers have found the upper hand on not following traffic laws that makes manufacturing driverless car more meticulous to decrease accidents and breaking traffic laws. The fact that driverless car sensors can detect the errors of other human driven car is extraordinary. Human driven cars are trying to stick to the status quo of the roads when in reality human driven cars are breaking valuable innovation that will make the roads safe for generations to
Arguments in favor of self-driving cars Most of the accidents happen because of the mistakes committed by the drivers. The argument in favor of the self-driving car lies in the fact that it is a robotic way of travelling. Therefore, would not be subject to fatigue, attention span etc. Thereby, shall drastically reduce the accidents on the
First, some criminals may see self driving cars as an advantage. Well, it’s most definitely not. The police can shut off the cars if they permission and a warrant. Also some people cannot resist the temptation to text and drive or get distracted while driving. Driverless cars will not stop you from getting from getting distracted but it will stop you from driving.
This may sound like a dream come true, but the technology is still riddled with multiple hazards that may put passengers at risk. Although autonomous cars may positively benefit society, the technology still poses some major risks to passengers, including security issues, a less responsible lifestyle, and AI environmental responses.
Human error is the leading cause in motor vehicle crashes, human error can be from anything from merging without a signal to drinking and driving all of which have caused motor vehicle crashes with some to the extreme of death. Autonomous vehicles take away human error by taking away human
According to the data of all the incidents updated on Google, human drivers have caused more collisions with the driver less cars fourteen times since 2009.1 Many predict that the cars will also allow disabled passengers more mobility,2 the disabled people will be able to drive these autonomous cars. Parking needs are predicted to fall as cars will no longer need to sit idle between trips, but rather can be used to transport other passengers.3 Drivers may place too much trust in their cars and they can do other activities like looking at their cell phones and occupying their hand with a tablet or a smartphone.4 Google has actively advocated at the moment that all of its autonomous vehicles only operate with a licensed driver behind the wheel. Still, it is apparent that such a self-driving future may be Google's ultimate goal with this technology.5 Autonomous cars innovators are working currently with government officials to identify and address the safety and security of these new technologies. In both the Obama and Trump administration, an effort has been underway in order to sketch security and safety policies while making sure to keep the innovation forward in this