My Take on Autonomous Cars

So, autonomous cars. I have published a few pieces on the topic such as the self-driving RS7s from Audi and the astonishing feats that Faraday Future is pulling off. But, I haven’t really expressed my opinion regarding the topic yet. Since this a blog, why not, right?

First off, I am a strong supporter for autonomous cars. The technology fascinates me. When all of the stereoscopic cameras and thousands of lines of code come together, it is just astounding. I love how these manmade creations are better at keeping the car in lane than the regular human. They effectively eliminate user error.

This brings me to my next point. A society with only autonomous cars that have the most perfected and tested software will bring an era of little to no traffic. Just imagine that in your minds…no traffic on the most traveled highways. Humans often cause traffic because they might hit the brakes prematurely, causing a domino effect. Cars behind all have to brake and then speed up once again, thus traffic is initiated. Think about it, wouldn’t humanity be better off without traffic? More time to actually be productive and do things you enjoy.

Plus, drunk driving also is one of the most critical issues facing societies around the world. Have one too many Appletinis and then poof, not only you but the innocent person in the car you hit are seriously injured. A permeant solution to this catastrophic and detrimental issue that plagues society is the adoption of driverless cars.

They will be able to get you home without hurting yourself or any other drivers. Mercedes hinted at this with their F 015 Concept car. This completely autonomous car is aimed at providing effortless and luxurious travel to passengers. Drunk people can be whisked away back to their homes without even thinking of calling an Uber because their own car can get them home.

People also have this preconception that with all of these driverless cars, there will be an end to motor sport. I am a strong advocate for having only autonomous SUVs, vans, and economy cars (the boring ones) so that there are still Mustangs and 911s. Or, I like the idea of having a fleet of semi-autonomous cars like what Tesla is doing with making a ludicrous car that can switch between full autonomy and performance nirvana.

Now, every time I talk to someone about autonomous cars, they always look at me like I have a thousand heads and ask: “But is it safe?” And I have to admit, that is a pretty good question. The vast public isn’t educated properly regarding autonomous cars and we need to work on that. But, I usually reply by saying that the driverless cars that Google is testing have recorded no incidents for the 1.5 million miles that they have logged. Tesla’s Autopilot features have reported no incidents also and a car like that is the pinnacle of semi autonomous vehicles.

Autonomous cars are a very controversial topic, but they are inevitable with all the problems that they irradiate and technological advances. Let me know what you think about autonomous cars and I’ll see you guys next week!