Self-driving cars
Introduction
Self-driving cars continue to mass acceptance as they are thought to be beneficial. Many entities, including universities, and auto-makers, are working hard to make them a reality. Gwynne Dyer, in his article Self-Driving Cars, mentions the benefits of these products of disruptive technology as reducing traffic congestion, energy costs, traffic accidents, and the associated economic toll such as injury, death, or property damage. Though he gives the disadvantages of self-driven vehicles, Gwynne does not expound on the unintended consequences that may negatively influence their use. For instance, he states that half of the driving jobs will be lost in the next ten years. Although self-driving cars have the potential to promote enormous economic benefits, it can cause some unintended consequences such as security threats, reduced private ownership of vehicles, negative impact on auto insurance companies and causing car sickness.
A driverless car works entirely under the control of computer software and hardware. The security holes can be exploited by a malicious attacker in his or her attempt to take over the vehicle; Such people can purposefully cause the crash of the car. There is a report on security experts successfully hacking Jeep Cherokee and Tesla Model S as they exploited weaknesses in modern automobiles. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) warns that they can be converted to weapons. For example, terrorists can load vehicles with explosives and use them as bombs. The driverless cars are likely to communicate through a network system to receive necessary data. Such a network can be easily attacked and cause all the robotic vehicles to come to a halt. Manufacturers of these vehicles are always striving to patch the likely security gaps, but these can be easily circumvented by enterprising hackers.
A world that relies more on driverless vehicles will contribute to a significant decrease in ownership of private cars. Citizens will prefer calling a driverless car as opposed to Uber. If such a situation persists, the automobile industry will be destroyed hence causing significant loss of jobs and billions of money in economic output. Ford, General Motors, and other traditional automakers are likely to be in financial trouble as they are slow in adapting to change. Also, driverless cars will result in a decline in the risks related to human driving. Auto insurers who already exist in a very competitive market will experience potential bankruptcies as their business will be rendered outdated. The incidences of motion sickness are likely to increase with the use of self-driving vehicles. University of Michigan researchers suggest that the passengers using these vehicles will be bored and engage in activities such as reading hence increasing the severity of motion sickness. Other challenges likely to be present when using self-driving vehicles include the need for changing the road system, the problem associated with weather problems, and privacy issues.
Conclusion
The introduction of new cars will revolutionize and disrupt the modes of transport usually used by people. Although the benefit to society is likely to be immense, the unintended consequences should be considered. The negative impacts vary from the silly (people vomiting) to the severe (potential loss of jobs, both driving and in the auto industry) and security threats. It appears the momentum for developing self-driving vehicles is going to gather steam. However, it is vital all the negative impacts that may materialize due to this disruptive technology are prepared to make them more accommodative, safe, and efficient.