A car without a driver? It’s coming soon
Posted on février 17, 2014 by Frank
You might have heard of the latest developments in the car industry. First, there was this huge craze to develop a flying vehicle, that would be able to avoid driving in the traffic and bring its driver to work a lot faster than by regular means. This alternative became less and less realistic when people though about the numerous consequences of building these products: airborne accidents, the need for a landing spot for these vehicles, the need to modify multiple laws… it MIGHT happen one day but we’re decades away from it.
Google’s driverless car, on another hand, is becoming more and more realistic as time passes.
Pilots taking place in the US
Thanks to its very strong negociation power, the US giant was able to get a bill passed in California allowing to test and operate autonomous vehicles (known as driverless cars) on state roads and highways. Experiments have already shown that they work great: a man that was 95% blind was able to be brought to a restaurant, a dry-cleaner and back home.
There are close to 12 vehicles being on the road at any given time in the US right now. They have driven hundreds and hundreds of thousands of kilometers without causing a single accident… well, as Google said, except when there actually was a driver that took control of the wheels. Looks like humans are now more dangerous than the robots.
The implications of this
First, as you understand, states will need to significantly change their regulations to allow these vehicles to become mass-market. As of today, it is mandatory to have someone driving the car. However, as the technology gets refined and more and more studies show that the level of danger is not higher than with a real driver, the legislators should start being more pressured.
For businessmen, this will mean that they can work while going to the office. People living outside of metropolitan areas will be relieved from the huge waste of time currently spent in their car as they will be able to be productive during their commuting time. Up to a certain extent, it might even make common transportation less popular.
There are a lot of factors that will have to be taken in consideration before driverless cars are 100% safe, though. It was said that road signalers have a hard time being recognized by the machine, which could spell trouble with all the construction going around during summer.
To continue your reading on the automobile industry, take a look at our article about car brokerage.