Advantages and Disadvantages of Driverless Cars

How cool would it be to never have to drive your car again? Some people are lucky enough to experience this now. They have chauffeurs or private drivers to handle the task, but what about the regular, average Joes out there? What if you never had to worrying about making your morning commute because your car would simply drive you itself?

Self-driving vehicles are quickly becoming the new frontier of technology, capturing the minds of those in Silicon Valley, but the actual implementation of driverless cars might need to wait a generation or two. In a recent survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, 48 percent of Americans said that they would ride in driverless cars. More than half of urban and suburban citizens said they were at least interested in this technology, and a whopping 59 percent of college graduates in the U.S. said they would be willing to give it a try.

Before you know it, seeing a driverless car on the road could become part of your normal routine. You might even own one! Here is what you need to know about the driverless car phenomenon.

Who’s working on it?

There are several companies who are working intensely on this technology and say that driverless cars could hit the markets even within the next few years. Keep an eye on:

  • Google: This technology powerhouse launched its first prototype of the driverless car in 2014 and says it may be used publically within another two or three years.
  • Mobileye: This company has mainly focused on crash avoidance systems in the past, but now their focus is shifting to creating the driverless car itself. By 2018, Mobileye hopes to have its cars on the road.
  • Dailmer (Mercedes-Benz): Dailmer has already showcased quite the achievement: the self-driving semi truck. The company further promises to have a self-driving car out by 2020.

With these thoughts in mind, the steering wheel could become entirely obsolete in just a few short years.

The good and the bad

Other than the obvious advantages, like being able to nap on your way to work, having a driverless could drastically cut down on the number of car accidents. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the top three causes of death in relation to driving accidents are distracted driving, speeding a drunk driving (in that order exactly). Driverless cars could possible eliminate each one of these threats and making the roads safer for everyone.

At the moment, however, only five states (including California) allow driverless cars on the road. They are illegal everywhere else. Though the driverless semi truck has been created, it cannot legally drive across the country to make deliveries.

There is also the problem of hackers. As these cars will be able to connect to the Internet, they will be open to hackers as well. The hackers could be going after driver information as well as driving habits, as these will be recorded, and could potentially highjack a car as it is driving you somewhere.

When all is said and done, who will be held responsible for accidents? Will the manufacturers take responsibility for any malfunctions and crashes related to their hardware, or will it be up to the driver to remain alert? How will we decide?

More than likely, new laws will be coming into effect to govern how we handle these types of responsibilities and assign fault to one another. We can only guess what the future will bring.

Moseley Collins is a personal injury attorney serving those badly hurt throughout Northern California. There is absolutely NO FEE to discuss your case and there is absolutely no fee unless we win and get you the money you are entitled to. We are on your side and know what to do to get you compensation and justice.

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