A case for embracing driverless cars

The concept of a car that drives itself without our input is a scary prospect to some. Anyone who has been in a collision that they feel they couldn’t have avoided knows that even split-second human reactions are often not enough to prevent an accident. While there will be those who are extremely trusting of the technology, others may not even consider it as an option when they do come out.

Some note that computers are not as smart as humans when it comes to real-life input. The set of commands necessary to teach are robot how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in a standard kitchen is so long that programming it can take days, even weeks. The counter-argument there is that a computer can be set to stay completely focused on the task and are therefore more efficient. They have better overall “vision” with a wider range of view, GPS connectivity, and an ability to recognize more distant risks (in theory) than a human.

It’s a tough call. The prospects are tremendous. The risks are life or death. It will take many leaps of faith for the driverless car to be embraced wholesale, but the same can be true for air travel. Many in the early days of commercial aviation preferred trains and boats to taking to the skies. Today, it’s much more common for long trips. Will the same hold true for the driverless car technology? Will it earn as much trust?

In this infographic, we see some positive benefits of the driverless car concept.

Via: InsuranceQuotes.org