Discussion of Permition of Self Driving Cars on The Roads

Do you think self driving cars are the future? If self driving cars are the future it will be weird a car driving by itself it would not just be weird but dangerous too.

It is my personal opinion that self-driving cars should not be permitted on the roads. This opinion is based on the following reasons: loss of jobs, potential for increased car accidents, breakdown in computer software, potential for software to be hacked, congestion increase. Although technology has improved safety with the creation of many new features to include cruise control, antilock brakes, and blind spot detection to name a few, I do not believe that it has improved enough to create a safe environment for automated cars.

Although it is my opinion that automated cars should not be allowed on the road there are some pros to the technology. Automated cars have the technology that prevents the car from drifting into the next lane. This feature can be useful in preventing certain accidents. The driver can spend that time more efficiently relaxing or working (Business Insider). Today, there are many individuals who are not able to drive a car because of disabilities. An automated vehicle would allow for those individuals to drive potentially for the first time in their life - increasing their mobility without requiring someone else to drive them around. Traffic may no longer be an issue in society due to self-driving vehicles (Budget Direct).

Automated vehicles will remove jobs from the workplace. There will no longer be a need for Uber/Lyft, taxi, and bus drivers. There would be no one responsible for the car accidents. Automated vehicles are more expensive because of the necessary technology. The computers could crash and cause accidents. In addition, the cars could easily be hacked while someone is driving and cause a crash. (NHTSA). Not only could the hackers intentionally cause car accidents they could reprogram a vehicle to do anything they want without any thought of who or what it may effect. If automated vehicles become the normal in society, allowing more people access to vehicles, they could create congestion on the roads and potentially more pollution harming the environment. If we begin using self-driving vehicles, everyone will need one in order for all the benefits of automated driving to see the full benefits.

The argument in favor of self-driving cars has value; however, there are major issues associated with automated cars. Automated cars could leave too many people without employment. It could also increase the likelihood of accidents due to the potential hacking of the computer system or a computer crash. The responsibility of accidents would be impossible to place. Each viewpoint could be a pro or a con. For example, self-driving vehicles could provide more opportunities for individuals with disabilities but that could create more congestion with more people on the road. I do not think that the pros are better than the cons. I still believe even after researching this topic that self-driving vehicles should not be permitted on the road because the reasons I wrote about above.