Pros And Cons For The Safety Of Pedestrians

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Since the invention of the car in 1885, people have done multiple trials to make them safe for everyone around them. As the main source of transportation, cars have a big impact on our daily lives, both good and bad. Over time, driving a car has become more of a “right” than a privilege in the minds of today, despite the fact that most people are so careless when they drive that they even cause deaths or damage to property. In 2015, the percent of fatalities on highways and interstates increased 7.2% in just a year, the highest it had been in decades (Reese). This number is only climbing, therefore there needs to be a real change, one that is called the autonomous car. The autonomous car is a vehicle that is capable of sensing its environment …show more content…

A large part of the social dilemma of autonomous vehicles is whether or not the car will save the driver or the pedestrians (AAAS). The safety of pedestrians on sidewalks near busy streets is a big enough discussion that it has become a worldwide dilemma because drivers are so focused on the road in front of them that they don’t notice what is happening around them. Typically, in outdoor shopping malls, pedestrians walk everywhere, relying on the hope that drivers are paying attention and will not hit them while they are crossing the street. Pictures of famous people being brutally murdered by human error on the road is an emotional rollercoaster in itself, but imagine if it was a loved one (Metinides). Hearing a pedestrian was killed in a motor vehicle accident is different than actually seeing it in person or seeing pictures of it, and they only express the problem of pedestrian safety by roads. Paul Walker, famous for acting in the Fast and Furious franchise, was killed in a car accident, and the pictures from the accident brought out grief from all of his fans from all over the world. One of the first units in driver’s education courses is about being aware of one’s entire surroundings, most importantly pedestrians; furthermore, while it is something mostly forgotten, autonomous cars will increase the safety of those pedestrians that drivers aren’t paying attention

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