Cars have been around for some time now, since 1893.
The first-ever petrol-driven American car was road-tested in Springfield, Massachusetts, by the Duryea Brothers. This car even won a race in 1895, a year before it was sold off.
Since then, different car models have been introduced. Statistics show that over 278 million personal and commercial vehicles were registered across the US as of 2022.
In the same year, only 8.3% of American households owned no vehicle.
The latest versions have such advanced features that were unheard of decades ago.
Some of these advanced technologies designed to support drivers include park assist, wireless charging, GPS navigation, and, the most exciting of all, self-driving.
These vehicles are said to have a degree of road autonomy using radars, sensors, and odometry. It is said that they are able to operate or drive around without human intervention.
Since autonomous vehicles are technology, we may assume that they would solve the problem of road safety.
How true is that?
In this article, we will discuss self-driving and whether eliminating humans is the answer to road safety.
A Technology Designed to Improve Road Safety:
Due to advanced technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML), self-driving cars can have a 360-degree view of their surroundings at all times.
This means they will be able to navigate independently without any input from a human driver.
The basic premise is that removing the driver from the equation will also remove the element of human error.
This seems reasonable since 90% of all road accidents occur due to this reason.
For instance, the World Health Organization (WHO) cites over-speeding and intoxication as the two main causes of accidents.
Naturally, technology cannot get high, unlike humans. Moreover, well-tested advanced features like lane-keeping assistance, emergency braking, and adaptive cruise control can prevent unnecessary speeding.
Furthermore, cooperative intelligent transport systems (CITS) can also improve connectivity between self-driving vehicles.
This means safety-critical information like traffic flow, average vehicle speeds, etc. can be exchanged with others around.
Authorities can use such details to make decisions regarding opening or closing certain lanes and more to avert accidents.
Concerning Studies and Sad Statistics:
In the previous section, we discussed how self-driving cars promise a future with minimal road accidents.
This undoubtedly depends upon the infrastructure and better road conditions. When both the vehicle and its surroundings are in alignment, a world without human driving intervention may be possible.
Completely driver-less or autonomous cars may not be available until 2040, but the timeline could shift further than that.
Even so, certain vehicles today feature systems that offer hands-free driving for extended stretches of time. This means self-driving technology is speedily maturing.
Based on the condition today, we can infer what the future may look like. Unless the existing technologies advance at a rapid pace, this technology brings with it concerns.
Current studies show that 93% of Americans surveyed were skeptical about auto-drive features.
The statistics even confirm such concerns because an accident occurred this year in which Tesla's self-driving feature failed.
The video of the incident surfaced and had over a million views. It can be seen that the car was almost about to crash into a passing train.
The driver admitted to becoming complacent and trusting the technology. It was just at the right time that he realized how the car had failed to recognize the train. This was just one case in discussion.
Missouri is seeing an increasing number of accidents among cars with self-driving features.
Over 250 cases involved a Tesla. Among all its cities, St. Louis is particularly vulnerable because it already has a reputation for unsafe lanes, careless drivers, and increasing road accidents.
Many drivers believe that they should bear no responsibility for an accident since the vehicle was 'driving itself.'
However, this logic needs to be revised and shows a lack of accountability.
Even if self-driving features are to blame, the human operator is responsible for paying attention.
Since such an accident may ultimately materialize due to negligence, the victim can sue with the help of a St. Louis car accident attorney.
After all, car accidents, in general, can have debilitating consequences, including physical injuries, psychological trauma, loss of income, heavy expenses, etc.
According to TorHoerman Law, the legal team will thoroughly assess the case, gather critical evidence, and determine the extent of damages.
This will ensure the victim receives fair compensation. Until now, this has been a sad story with cars that were designed to bolster road safety.
Possible Consequences of Autonomous Vehicles: Have We Thought Through All the Impacts?
Statista states that the world is increasingly preparing for autonomous cars.
By 2028, the majority of vehicles on the roads will have reached at least Level 3 of self-driving. This makes it clear that autonomous vehicles are our future.
However, this raises eyebrows as to whether the world is fully aware and prepared for the possible consequences.
We will list all the negative consequences since the upsides are not a concern.
- The average cost of a fully autonomous car is expected to reach up to $250,000. However, this technology may only be affordable for some American households.
- It is quite easy for automated systems to malfunction. When that happens, accidents and fires ensue.
- A significant percentage of the US population drives for a living. In 2024, there will be over 230 million licensed drivers in the country. Going autonomous would threaten people's livelihoods.
- The technology on which automated vehicles run cannot easily detect pedestrians, raising the risk of pedestrian accidents.
- Hacking is another major issue with driverless technology. Since autonomous vehicles are always online, they are vulnerable to malicious attacks.
Conclusion:
In light of what we've discussed, it does beg the question of human carefulness.
Would it not be easier if we all played our roles on the roads and looked out for each other's safety?
Technology will never replace humans.
If it is expected to do so, the same is just a disaster in the making. This is our reality, at least for now. Will the future look different?
Only time will tell.
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