My wife asked me how did I think I would adjust to being driven in a car that drove itself?
As a person who has driven for more that 55 years, legally, I think I might find it very difficult to accept. However, I may have to get used to it because it will probably happen in my lifetime. In fact, in various forms it is happening now. We step aboard airport trains that run without a human driver and think nothing of it. An elevator is the same thing but its just that it goes up and down. But getting into the family car and programming where we want to go, then sitting back as the car does all the work to get us to our destination will take some getting used to.
However, depending on the quality of engineering, let us assume an age where no human takes the controls. What will that mean?
In one step the roads will become free of idiots, drunk drivers, boy racers, showoffs, egotists, careless drivers, speeding drivers, confused drivers, tired drivers, drivers who think they are actually in their living rooms and not their cars, drivers distracted by their children, drivers who should not be behind the wheel because of sickness or other infirmness; drivers who are under the influence of drugs, both prescribed and recreational, and drivers who no longer have the capacity to control a vehicle because of age. These are only the ones I can think of at the moment, I'm sure you can think of other drivers who should have control taken away from them.
It will also mean the end of traffic fines as the car will respond to traffic signals. There will no longer be any need to construct a vehicle that can travel at 250 kilometres an hour when the maximum speed limit will be 120. Cars will actually stop where required and only move off when the way is clear. Hopefully there will no longer exist death on the road, so when we leave home to go to the supermarket we can reasonably expect to come home with the groceries. And one more thing that is very important: cars will park themselves in sensible places. This is, of course already available in some model cars.
Presumably the practise of stealing cars will come to an end as only the person authorised will be able to move the car forward.
Will I need a license to drive? If so, why?
All of these considerations are real because Google, and others involved in the search for automated driving are making great strides forward. Automatic driving is a reality as we speak, but not for the general public. How soon will that happen? Probably within the next ten years.
So, I repeat my wife's question for each and every one of you: How do you think you might adjust to this brave new world?
Copyright (c) 2015 Eugene Carmichael
