Driverless Cars

Driverless Cars

The proposal to invest in driverless cars is becoming popular with the increase in the production of the automobiles by companies like Tesla. As a result, researchers are seeking to explore the implication of technology. According to the proponents of the invention, the innovators of the car designed the automobiles intentionally to improve car efficiency and car safety on the roads. The benefits in the use of the driverless vehicles indicate that the technologies have been effective in alleviating environmental challenges associated with human-driven cars. The example includes pollution, loss of direction, fatigue leading to accidents and driving incompetence hindering the efficiency of the vehicles on the road. Even though critics cite overreliance on technology and loss of human touch in cars as potential concerns, the resources expose the roads users to minimal risks. The cars improve the quality of transport and redress environmental concern associated with driving human-controlled cars.

The first benefit of the self-driving cars is that the innovation alleviates concern related to human error leading to improvement in transport standards. According to Woldeamanuel and Dang (44), the cars enhance the quality of travel experience through coordination busing maps, thus alleviating risks associated with human errors. The issues feature in BBC article titled “The autonomous car that can drive where others cannot” that motivates the proposal to invest in driverless cars. The writer implies that the technologies will alleviate risks associated with driver fatigue that lead to fatalities. Litman cites the case of improvement in accuracy (3). Subsequently, the cars will exploit artificial intelligent technology in controls that ease coordination with other roads users. The efficiency in the operation of the vehicles compared to human-driven cars also pose minimal risk to the environments. An example is the reduction in emission from cars due to human incompetence.

The risks of the adoption of the car is that dependence on the technology hinders human creativity in normal actions that people can conduct with ease. As noted by Cellan-Jones, the automation might render humans incapable of undertaking basic obligations; thus, the need to reconsider the proposal to use driverless cars (1). Furthermore, the sense of human touch that makes travel experiences enjoyable will lack when people adopt driverless cars (Howard and Danielle 2). Additionally, the cars are programmed to respond in accordance with the envisaged situation. Hence, in the likelihood of an emergency, the cars might exude a response unfathomed by the programmers of the systems coordinating the movement of the case. A case in point is an accident. The car might fail to stop despite the risk, but in the case of a human-controlled car, the automobile stops to adjust to emergencies.

Despite the risks associated with an investment in the technology that enables cars to move without drivers, the idea is worth considering facilitating the exploitation of technology for the benefit of humanity. Just like in industrial activities where firms are embracing the use of robots, the adoption of driverless cars is worthwhile since the technologies will enhance the efficiency of the automobile. Furthermore, the cars will exploit artificial intelligence in redressing challenges emanating from human miscalculations, and many other traffics concerns. The technologies are likely to serve the intended purpose of improving road safety and efficiency of cars.

Works Cited

BBC. “The autonomous car that can drive where others cannot.” BBC News. 10 may 2018. Sourced from https://www.bbc.com/news/av/technology-43956228/the-autonomous-car-that-can-drive-where-others-cannot

Cellan-Jones, Rory. “Tech Tent – the bumpy road to self-driving cars.” BBC News. 15 June 2018. Sourced from https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-44496859

Howard, Daniel, and Danielle Dai. “Public perceptions of self-driving cars: The case of Berkeley, California.” Transportation research board 93rd annual meeting. Vol. 14. No. 4502. 2014.

Litman, Todd. Autonomous vehicle implementation predictions. Victoria, Canada: Victoria Transport Policy Institute, 2017.

Woldeamanuel, Mintesnot, and Dang Nguyen. “Perceived benefits and concerns of autonomous vehicles: An exploratory study of millennials’ sentiments of an emerging market.” Research in Transportation Economics 71 (2018): 44-53.

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