Driverless Cars: Should There Be A Driverless?

It is now the twenty-first century and the idea of a self driving car is not far from being a reality. Many companies such as Toyota, Tesla, and even Apple are now hard at work trying to configure and develop a car that can be driven safely without a driver. This idea of autonomous cars sound as though it would be enticing; being able to sit in a car and let it drive itself to a certain destination. However, there are many drawbacks that come with such a luxury. Some of these drawbacks might even be considered as massive problems to not only the motoring industry but to many other industries and individuals as well. Companies are beginning to medal with forces unseen and more powerful themselves. Autonomous cars should not be produced …show more content…
As driverless cars become more and more popular, much of the economy could suffer. Many businesses and services such as Target, WalMart, and even the United States Postal Service utilize drivers are a large part of their workforce. These companies will begin to realize that a driverless car could essentially be a more cost effective option due to the fact that they will no longer have to pay a driver. Should companies choose the driverless options, they will begin to lay off drivers that are on their payroll. Vignesh Ramachandran of the National Public Radio states that three percent of all workers in United States hold driving jobs. If driverless cars proceed the traditional cars, then that three percent of workers in the United States would find …show more content…
An autonomous car is programmed to react to situations but, it will still not be able to make the decisions that a human can make. Humans are able to interact with the road and obstacles quite well in most cases. An autonomous car would have to become efficient at sensing surroundings and knowing what to do at unexpected encounters. “To a computer, a highway on a clear day looks completely different than it does in fog or at dusk” (Laurel Hamers of Science News). The acr will have to always sense these conditions. Should the car fail to do so, then it may mis-sense certain objects in and around the road which could lead up to an accident. Also, autonomous cars will have to be able to make ethical decisions. For example, should a driverless car be heading towards an accident that is going to be fatal and the only option is to swerve onto the sidewalk. However, there are two pedestrians on the sidewalk. The car will have to decide which will consist of the best outcome. Jeremy Clarkson of Top Gear United Kingdom claims that a driverless car will decide to kill the one person in the car as opposed to hitting two people on the sidewalk. The car will make that decision due to the fact that only one person will have to die instead of two. Clarkson also states that driverless cars will be programmed with self preservation, or the idea that they will protect themselves over the passenger(s).