Most people think of sci-fi films with spaceships whirling around planets when they hear about driver-less cars, but this technology is coming sooner than you'd think.
Google has been working on autonomous cars for many years now, and the company is starting to make some real headway.
Every day, families across the world lose their loved ones in terrible car crashes that are caused by human error. "Nearly 1.3 million people die in road crashes each year, on average 3,287 deaths a day," according to the Association for Safe International Road Travel. The solution seems easy: Let's take the human element out of driving and let incredible technology drive us home safely.
I see it everyday. People are texting, calling their friends, eating food or applying makeup. These activities make it tremendously dangerous for everyone around the cars that these drivers are operating. Once Google ensures that driver-less technology is safe for the roads, people can do these things in their car safely, making for an amazing advancement.
Imagine a group of friends stumbling into a driver-less car after a fun night of drinking. They close the doors and realize they have no need for a steering wheel. No longer will they have the chance to test their fate and drive drunk. No funeral or hospital visits necessary. Instead, Google's technology safely takes everyone home, allowing them to enjoy their hangover the next morning and start a new day.
At first, this technology will not be accessible to the lower economic classes. This is true with almost every technological advancement including the first ever cars with steering wheels. As they progressively master the driver-less car production, this technology will be more and more accessible to people of every economic background. There are other problems they are attempting to iron out as well, such as what happens when the car breaks down or the camera malfunctions. But once Google inevitably finds solutions to these issues, the roads will become much more safe for everyone to arrive at their final destinations.
The introduction of driver-less cars will save countless lives for generations to come, and possibly your life too.
Related Links:
Driverless cars are happening in less than five years
Reach the columnist at gpaulsoccer@yahoo.com or follow @GrahamASUpress on Twitter.
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