Pros And Cons Of Self Driving Cars

Transportation is one of the most important services that is required by humans today. With the earth becoming more connected every day people are moving from place to place much more often. It is sad, however, that with this change “Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death of teenagers in the U.S.” (Weiland), Most cars still overwhelmingly consume fuel over hybrids or others, and in recent years carbon emissions have been directly linked to the destruction of the environment. This lack of concern has been accepted for quite some time, but technology is on the brink of a breakthrough that could save millions of lives and the environment too, with the use of self-driving cars. Self-Driving cars could revolutionize transport by

It is safe to assume that self-driving cars of the future will be mostly electric as Tesla is currently leading the charge in this advancement. If this is true, one would only have to put instal their own solar panels to never have to pay for gas or power again. In addition, Tesla is also creating a supercharging system in which a self-driving car “can deliver itself to the nearest charging station while you are otherwise occupied” (Galland). This will not only be convenient, but will also cut emissions to zero. In the case that some self-driving cars are not electric or some are still using manual cars that use fuel there still is good news. “Self-driving cars in large number participate in a behavior known as platooning, which would significantly improve traffic conditions and congestion” (“Top 20”). This will save people not only time, but also the fuel that would normally be lost at idle in stopped traffic. Gas will also be conserved through the lack of harsh accelerations and decelerations caused by human error as “it has been shown the more your car operates at a continuous engine speed, the less fuel it consumes” (Bell 5). On top of this, in later years when self-driving cars become more mainstream properties of “drafting would come into play” (Bell 5). This physical property occurs when objects moving the same direction at similar speeds, catch the slipstream of one another ending up with a decrease in drag resulting in less energy used and

Like it or not, humans can be unpredictable and in a logical system of roadways, this human aspect can cause major problems. It is shown that many deaths in America can be linked back to automobile accidents. Self-driving cars will make a tremendous impact on this even in the early stages of its implementation. In fact, “81 percent of car crashes are the result of human error” (“Top 20”). This, of course, would be completely nulled if cars drove themselves. It is shown that even “if ten percent of all cars were self-driving, as many as 211,000 accidents would be prevented annually” (Bell 2). This effect is exponentially increased when in the later stages of the technology. The same site also states that “if 90 percent of cars were self-driving… The Eno Centers study found up to 4.2 million accidents would be prevented; 21,700 lives would be preserved and more than 400 billion in related costs would be eliminated” (Bell 2). Alone, this gives enough reason to move to self-driving cars, but the benefits do not stop there. Services created due to these accidents would begin to shrink with them. In fact, some believe that “Car insurance may become extinct” (“Top 20”). This could give people who are in poorer situations a little relief financially. Next, commute times will be reduced significantly. “Higher speed limits can be enacted, as the concerns about