We’ve all seen videos from Google and BMW of cars that drive themselves. They look super cool and are a good barometer of where car technology is at right now. There’s still a lot of work going into electric cars, but this concept of an autonomous vehicle is definitely receiving a lot of attention.
While the idea sounds good, I’m interested to know what the actual benefits are of a car like this. Likewise, are there negatives to go along with it? I’ve been doing my research, and there are a fair few pros and cons of self-driving cars. I’ll list them below, and you can decide whether or not you think these cars are going to be a success or a fail.
PROS
Reduce Auto Accidents
One of the key pros manufacturers are pushing is that autonomous cars can reduce auto accidents. How? Well, speak to the best car accident law firm you can find and ask them what the main cause of accidents is. They’ll duly tell you that drivers are that main cause. A lot of accidents are traced back to reckless driving, meaning a self-driving car takes the human out of the equation. They’re programmed to be safe and follow all the road rules, which should lower accidents.
Help People With Driving Disadvantages
If you have a disability and struggle to drive, you rely on other people for lifts everywhere. With a self-driving car, this isn’t an issue. It can help disabled people feel more independent and less like a burden on others.
Allows You To Be Productive
The downside of driving is that you can’t do anything when you drive. At least, you shouldn’t, and people that do will often cause accidents! But, if the car drives itself, you can be more productive on your commute to work. You can make phone calls, reply to emails, all while letting your car do the work.
CONS
Expensive
Needless to say, the technology involved here is very costly. This makes self-driving cars expensive, meaning few people could probably afford them.
Affected By Weather
I was surprised when I found this out, but autonomous cars are affected by weather. Things like rain, snow, or fog can tamper with sensors, meaning the car can’t drive itself. So, it’s only really 100% safe when you drive in good weather conditions.
Hackers
These days, any type of computer technology is at threat from hackers. People can hack into your computer, and they might be able to hack into your self-driving car. This can cause all sorts of problems, and it’s a genuine security risk that companies are figuring out how to prevent.
In my opinion, self-driving cars are a cool idea. Having said that, I don’t know if I’d fully trust one. With so many sensors and so much technology involved, there’s a lot of opportunities for things to go wrong. We’ve all had issues with tech before, but these issues are much larger when they’re in a car that’s driving you around. I think the idea that these cars can reduce accidents is brilliant, but I still feel like it’ll be a long time before they properly take off.