Autonomous Vehicles
A person pulls up to the red light. He looks to left, then looks to again, and takes a third glance to see what he thought he saw the first time- self-driving car. Many still think this is a figure of the imagination, but they are actually real. They are among us, and are anticipated by society. The human race has had the ability to experience self-driving vehicles for a couple of years now. It started when four to six back up sensors were installed into the rear or front bumper. These allow the operator of the vehicle know when they are about to hit another object behind or in front of the car. These new simple technologies developed into installing a backup camera so the person could see what was behind them, and it …show more content…
They may wonder how can something that is controlled electronically be more safe than driving themselves, and if the computer senses an accident about to happen, is it going to make the right decision to protect their lives. If they were to think about it, a computer can process information fast than a human brain. In a split second it can turn, stop, and even accelerate to avoid an accident. What many do not know is that an estimated 94 percent of accidents are caused by human error, often involving drivers who are distracted, tired, or inebriated according to USA Today. Then take in, that Google recorded more than 700,000 miles driven under computer control with only one single accident (Bailey). Imagine that there is nothing but self-driving vehicles that can drive 700,000 miles without an accident, not only will it lower the risk of accidents; it will help lower the congestion of traffic. Many people have had someone cut them off while trying to turn out of an intersection or while changing lanes have to slam on the brakes. What they do not see is the human errors cause a traffic jam, otherwise known as a ghost jam. When a ghost jam happens it causes everyone behind the vehicle that they are driving to have to quickly get on their brakes which could possibly cause an accident. The decrease in traffic will help out in fuel economy and time that it takes …show more content…
Law officials want the laws for auto makers to be very thorough. These laws force the auto makers to preform test that ensure the vehicle is as safe as possible. These laws are going to slow down the production of the vehicles. The cost of these autonomous vehicles will be considered way out of the price range for many middle class Americans, then add on that the manufacturers cannot mass produce these vehicles due to test and updates that must be performed annually. “Enhanced driver-assist features will add $527 to the price of new cars in 2020, and a lower $481 per car in 2030. The bulk of the additional cost arises from software - $367 in 2020, and $220 per car in 2030 - while connectivity will account for $160 per car in 2020 and $261 in 2030” (Wehrspann). Vehicle prices are already expensive as it is and many middle class Americans already struggle to buy a new vehicle. At the same time, there will be taxies, buses, and other forms of transportation that will probably be autonomous. However, many will see that when this fails and there is no human in the driver seat it may put their lives in danger. Many will think about the cost of repairs and how the expenses will affect their way of traveling. Will these be true these vehicles are going to help these companies save money in the future. Only time will tell if the money these companies are saving are going to equal out for them when the product they
A person pulls up to the red light. He looks to left, then looks to again, and takes a third glance to see what he thought he saw the first time- self-driving car. Many still think this is a figure of the imagination, but they are actually real. They are among us, and are anticipated by society. The human race has had the ability to experience self-driving vehicles for a couple of years now. It started when four to six back up sensors were installed into the rear or front bumper. These allow the operator of the vehicle know when they are about to hit another object behind or in front of the car. These new simple technologies developed into installing a backup camera so the person could see what was behind them, and it …show more content…
They may wonder how can something that is controlled electronically be more safe than driving themselves, and if the computer senses an accident about to happen, is it going to make the right decision to protect their lives. If they were to think about it, a computer can process information fast than a human brain. In a split second it can turn, stop, and even accelerate to avoid an accident. What many do not know is that an estimated 94 percent of accidents are caused by human error, often involving drivers who are distracted, tired, or inebriated according to USA Today. Then take in, that Google recorded more than 700,000 miles driven under computer control with only one single accident (Bailey). Imagine that there is nothing but self-driving vehicles that can drive 700,000 miles without an accident, not only will it lower the risk of accidents; it will help lower the congestion of traffic. Many people have had someone cut them off while trying to turn out of an intersection or while changing lanes have to slam on the brakes. What they do not see is the human errors cause a traffic jam, otherwise known as a ghost jam. When a ghost jam happens it causes everyone behind the vehicle that they are driving to have to quickly get on their brakes which could possibly cause an accident. The decrease in traffic will help out in fuel economy and time that it takes …show more content…
Law officials want the laws for auto makers to be very thorough. These laws force the auto makers to preform test that ensure the vehicle is as safe as possible. These laws are going to slow down the production of the vehicles. The cost of these autonomous vehicles will be considered way out of the price range for many middle class Americans, then add on that the manufacturers cannot mass produce these vehicles due to test and updates that must be performed annually. “Enhanced driver-assist features will add $527 to the price of new cars in 2020, and a lower $481 per car in 2030. The bulk of the additional cost arises from software - $367 in 2020, and $220 per car in 2030 - while connectivity will account for $160 per car in 2020 and $261 in 2030” (Wehrspann). Vehicle prices are already expensive as it is and many middle class Americans already struggle to buy a new vehicle. At the same time, there will be taxies, buses, and other forms of transportation that will probably be autonomous. However, many will see that when this fails and there is no human in the driver seat it may put their lives in danger. Many will think about the cost of repairs and how the expenses will affect their way of traveling. Will these be true these vehicles are going to help these companies save money in the future. Only time will tell if the money these companies are saving are going to equal out for them when the product they