Technology has continued to amaze the world with every new innovation. While there is no flying cars or cure for cancer yet, there is the potential for a driverless car. In fact, companies like Google have already begun tested them legally on some California roads. Many airplanes are equipped with auto-pilot technologies; why not make cars with the same feature? Since it is far from perfect right now, the driverless car still has much more testing to get through before they are ready for consumer use.
As of now, the driverless car in use can drive by itself, park without human interference and avoid collisions with other cars. The possibilities are endless for the driverless car. It could allow for a blind person to travel easier and reduce the amount of accidents every year. It may also help alleviate the pervasive drunk driving problems in California and other states. While there are many positives, there are still several drawbacks that are not yet perfected. One of the major problems the driverless car is facing is failure to identify pedestrians. Auto-pedestrian collisions can often yield fatal results. All it would take is one accident to shut down Google’s attempt to create a driverless car. With today’s vehicles, many inattentive drivers also fail to see pedestrians, causing serious injury or death to the victims. Behind most of these pedestrian accidents is human error. Taking away the human error with the driverless car could theoretically reduce the occurrence of auto- pedestrian accidents. California is home to millions of people. Pedestrian accidents occur several times throughout the year, resulting in incapacitating injuries and in some cases fatalities. Those injured or killed from an auto-pedestrian accident may be eligible for compensation. Source: NorthJersey.com, ” The feds, autopilot, and driverless cars,” June 6, 2013
