Driverless vehicles are fast becoming a real possibility but doesn’t the concept seem a little frightening? I guess it just takes a leap of faith to put your safety directly into the hands of technology. We do this already when we fly but I suppose we know there is always a captain on board should any intervention be required. What are the benefits to self-driving cars?
According to figures, 93% of road traffic collisions are caused by human error so are we foolish to put faith in ourselves? It is predicted that by 2030, driverless vehicles cut save 2,500 lives. With the ability to manage traffic more effectively, congestion could be reduced and so could journey times. This could also better access for emergency vehicles and a quicker response time. Surely roads would be safer for travelers and pedestrians.
These vehicles could help the aging population too as there are currently over 1 million people aged over 80. They are probably not the safest behind the wheel and so driverless vehicles could greatly increase their independence and allow mobility that would otherwise be restricted. Fewer accidents on the roads would also mean insurance costs could go down. Until you can get your own fleet of self-driving cars, for businesses to for car leasing in Leicester, visit http://leasing.totalmotion.co.uk/
Whilst we are happy to use assistive technology in our vehicles such as cruise control, parking assist or collisopndetectionwe seem skeptical about taking the next step to a fully autonomous car. We as humans tend to trust ourselves more, even when it is obvious that we cause most of the problems. Accidents will happen under the control of technology as a machine can malfunction just as a human can and these will perhaps be more unexpected and shocking.
Another fear is the risk of cyber attacks and the impact this could have on passenger safety and the impact on networks and gridlock situations. A strong security system will be essential as there will a lot of data passing from sensors to the vehicle, to other vehicles and to central command systems.
Will there ever be an appetite for purchasing a car that you will never drive? Driving is an experience and many people enjoy the activity. Car purchases and leases, despite the economic downturn have been increasing with 2.6 million new registrations made in 2015. Will motorists feel the same way or will the driverless car become like a carpool that nobody owns but simply shares with their neighbours when they need it.