Driverless cars speed ahead

I am a great fan of the concept of driverless cars. I am looking at driver behaviour every day that I'm sure autonomous cars would never be guilty of. Simple stuff like driving while drunk or under the influence of other substances. The one thing that really annoys me is those drivers who overtake me only to immediately slow down or turn off the road, thereby causing me to apply brakes.

There are so many problems that would be solved. but it seems that some control will remain for the human, even if it's elective. We will still have to be licensed and insured, and we will still have some degree of responsibility.

The list of capabilities being in-built into these models of the future is really fabulous. However,  the car is left with any number of moral decisions that affect humans as well, but the difference is that the car will be able to react much faster. For one thing inattention will not be one of its faults.

Inattention is perhaps the human's greatest downfall, leading in far too many cases to death on the highway. Take for instance simply driving for far too long a period of time to the point where your eyelids begin to close. This can happen day or night. The problem with this is there is no hard and fast rule to avoid it. Yes, we should stop and take a break every two hours, or less to recharge our personal batteries. However, in reality it depends on whether you slept well last night; or did you have a lunch that was too heavy, rendering you a prime subject for a siesta?

Perhaps you are fully alert but your attention is diverted by children fighting in the back, or something happening outside the car that takes not only your attention but everybody's else as well.

It's a sad commentary that science is on this track because we recognize that we humans are not to be trusted to be in charge of  these potentially lethal machines. Twenty-seven years ago I made the prediction that within the coming 50 years we would have self-driving vehicles, because it was so evident then that something had to be done.

Providing insurance cover is going to be a massive problem. So far, under very controlled circumstances there have been very few crashes, and that is to say we are in the development stage. I suppose that the car would be insured, as they do here in Spain, rather than the driver. The problem will arise in those cars that allow the human to take back control. That may take us back to Square One.

The most keen market should be us old fogies who have been driving for many years. I would love to be driven, especially on the long runs. Young people will be the least likely to take that choice, as long as there is a choice. I think I remember the days when I enjoyed driving. Those were good times and I was as happy as a clam. Now it's a chore, even in the Jag.

I really shouldn't just come right out and say this, but truth is that if I can't have a staff of beautiful women to drive me I'll just have to settle for a driverless Jag or Maserati.

Copyright (c) 2016
Eugene Carmichael