Should Self-Driving Cars Be Allowed On The Road?

Imagine a world in which all cars have no driver, instead, passengers recline and enjoy their trip, a world in which fatalities from car accidents have decreased greatly. Imagine this world becoming a reality. Self-driving cars have been facing quite a bit of controversy in the past few years. Companies such as Google, Uber, and Tesla are unwavering in their quest to test this new technology, but states are just beginning to allow self-driving cars on the road. Consequently, citizens are uncomfortable with driving on the same road as these ghost cars. Self-driving cars should be allowed on the road for many reasons: they continuously gain support from the government; they’re an inevitable advancement in automobile technology, and they are proving to be safer than manual cars; furthermore, they will probably become safer than manual cars.

To begin, self-driving cars are gaining support from both federal and state governments.

The U.S Department of Transportation released a statement covering the legal issues that arise with self-driving cars such as “how driverless cars should react if technology fails… preserving privacy… how occupants will be protected during crashes… security… how a car can communicate with passengers and other road users.” (Kang). State governments are also creating laws and regulations for self-driving cars “In the last three years, about a dozen state have introduced laws that specifically address testing of driverless vehicles. Most laws require a licensed driver to be in the car.” This shows that both federal and state governments are thinking rationally about self-driving cars assimilating into the everyday commute. With support from the government, self-driving cars will be more difficult to oppose. To conclude, state governments are not only supporting self-driving cars but further, than that, they are creating laws for them because they believe they will become part of everyday

life.
Moreover, self-driving cars are beginning to become safer than manual cars. Cohen’s article states “the average commuter spends 250 hours a year behind the wheel… car crashes are a leading cause of death for Americans 4 to 34 and cost some $300 billion a year… supporters believe that self-driving cars can make driving safer”(“Will Self-Driving Change the Rules?). With so many people spending so much time driving, and accidents being the main cause of death for young to middle-aged people, it’s obvious why a way to create a safer commute is needed. Self-driving cars are proving to be that means. Google reports that in the first 300,000 miles of driving with its self-driving prototype, it hasn’t had a single accident. In summary, Self-driving cars are proving to be safer than manual driving cars.
To continue on that idea, self-driving cars are the next step in automobile technology. As self-driving car manufacturers work to make their product safer, manual cars will undoubtedly become almost obsolete. Self-driving cars are working to become safer than manual cars. If it becomes ten times safer to drive self-driving cars than manual ones, there’s no reason to ban them; on the contrary, governments could end up banning manual cars, or they could become obsolete on their own. All things considered, this change wouldn’t be so bad. In 2015 alone, 5,306 people were killed in car accidents and 337,015 were injured. Two self-driving cars can coordinate with each other in ways a manual and self-driving car cannot. In the near future, permitting manual driving could be seen as just as dangerous as permitting drunk-driving. (Dorf)
Even so, no technology is perfect and self-driving cars have had accidents. There are things that aren’t really accounted for with self-driving cars, not to mention a moral dilemma that comes with virtually unavoidable accidents. While these oppositions make sense, they do have solutions. If a self-driving car without a licensed person inside of it gets into an accident, the company that created it should be seen at fault. Although it seems like a bad thing for companies, this could end up being a good thing for both drivers and corporations. If businesses are held accountable for accidents, it gives them that much more incentive to create safe cars. Not to mention, most state laws already require a licensed person to be inside a self-driving car in case something like this happens.
Therefore, self-driving cars are an inevitable advancement in automobile technology, gaining support from the government, and becoming safer, for these reasons they should be allowed on the road.