In this May 14, 2014, file photo, a row of Google self-driving cars are shown outside the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, Calif. For the first time, California's Department of Motor Vehicles knows how many self-driving cars are traveling on the state's public roads. The agency is issuing permits, Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2014 that let three companies test 29 vehicles on highways and in neighborhoods. (Photo: AP )
There's a big push in the automotive industry to make cars less like cars and more like robots. It's evident in new features such as back up cameras and automatic brake-sensing technology.
Both have been well-received and praised for making travel safer. However, these are just the first in a long list of vehicle changes we can expect. The end result? Fully self-driven vehicles — something that has a lot of consumers concerned.
There are tons of reports showing how fully self-driven vehicles can make travel virtually danger-free by eliminating human error, but none of that means anything if the majority of people don't want or intend to use the technology.
A recent study reveals 80 percent of drivers would prefer not to ride in fully self-driven vehicles and they would only be okay with the cars if they could be switched to manual driving. Similar studies have been conducted over the past two years, and much to the dismay of auto manufacturers, all have yielded roughly similar results.
This got me thinking. If people continue to resist the technology, why are auto manufacturers still pushing the issue? They keep trying to reassure us people do want, should want or will want autonomous cars, despite what studies show. Aren't they just wasting time and money creating a product for which there is no market?
Well, it's been proven time and again there's a market for just about anything. This will likely be the case for self-driving cars, no matter how much we don't like the idea of them now.
Think about it. A lot of our favorite science fiction movies depict flying cars complete with robot voices. It's funny. It's as if even our oldest, most ridiculous ideas about the future have actually shaped the way things might eventually pan out — although maybe to a lesser extent. I'm not saying everything in the movies will happen, that's just silly. I just think our overall fascination with the future will in time decide the fate of our transportation system. In all respects, pop culture is what created the market for autonomous cars, now it's just up to the manufacturers to make it happen. And they will. Every new thing is really just a product of something else.
The question is if we have embraced the idea of futuristic amenities in fantasy, why are we uncomfortable with new forms of transportation in real life? Other things never before thought possible have become a reality — voice activated phones and computers, drone delivery of our favorite products, holograms. We have welcomed these things, for the most part. Yet, we hold up a stop sign when it comes to autonomous cars.
The resistance and overall fear of autonomous vehicles comes from lack of control. Even in most science fiction movies the flying cars are still manually operated. Putting complete trust into an automated system is asking a lot, especially in a world where many people are still too scared to fly in a plane. We want control over our transportation and to know we are capable of getting from point A to point B on our own.
The changes to vehicles up to this point, have not completely altered the driving experience. They've just enhanced it. Made it safer by combining the most current technology with a human touch. Only time will tell if people accept fully self-driven vehicles the same way they've accepted these tools. Also to be determined is if autonomous cars really do what manufacturers claim — prevent accidents and OWIs, compute faster routes, save fuel, etc.
In the mean time, people like myself are left to wonder if one day there will no longer be such as thing as driver's education. Could you imagine seeing a nine-year-old legally behind the wheel — or should I say screen? Even if a computer is in control. That's pretty scary. All I know is if manufacturers include manual controls as a compromise, I will be using them.
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Source: Self-driving cars being pushed by auto industry
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