Driverless Cars May Be The Future: Here’s What We Should Be Considering
Driverless cars are things that have been getting talked about quite a lot over the last 10 years, and whilst prototypes have been developed and many have even been tested in real situations and with major manufacturers like Tesla, Ford, and Volvo leading the way for driverless cars to be on our roads sooner than later.
Like with all technology advances, this is something that we’ll likely get used to over time, but what does having a driverless car really look like and what are things we should be considering when thinking about whether or not we should embrace these in our lives just yet?
In this post, we’re going to cover just that.
How will the law adapt?
Currently, the laws with regards to driving are very clear, but since nobody has had much experience – or any with driverless cars, then the laws are going to be set from the beginning and they’re going to be a lot different than the ones we have in place at the moment. So, what will the laws look like for driverless cars? Although we don’t know exactly what those laws will be, they will more than likely pertain to the technology, and this will include things like changing how MOT checks are carried out as well as other changes to things like the Highway Code.
Are they safer for cyclists and pedestrians?
One of the main arguments against driverless cars – and simultaneously for them has been that removing the human aspect makes them dangerous, but also safer. The idea is that technology doesn’t respond to danger in the same way as people do, so may not be fully aware if someone is in front of them – this can happen when the technology malfunctions, for example, because obviously there will be things such as sensors in place to avoid such things happening, but we all know that technology isn’t foolproof.
On the other side of the argument, some people believe that removing humans from the wheel can make it safer since we’re reactive and emotional and currently cars rank lowest when it comes to safe transportation. The fact is we don’t know how this will look until driverless cars are on the road, but safety is always going to be one of the best ways to promote the future of driving in driverless cars, so it’s definitely something that will require a lot of thought and planning.
What does this mean for the future of transport?
As with all things, it’s really hard to predict what the future of transport will look like until we see it in action, but if existing technological advances are anything to go back, one thing’s for sure, and that is that technology really knows very limitations, and we should be ready to see pretty much anything. Ideas for things like windowless planes have already been put out there, and since there was a time when the idea of being in a driverless car would have seemed like something from a science fiction movie, but now that it’s close to being a reality, we really don’t know what the future of transport is going to look like.