You’ve heard about them and maybe you’ve even seen them driving around from time to time. The modern technology of driverless cars has infinite potential, but perfection is never attained right away.
Since driverless cars are still relatively new, we may not be ready for all of their implications just yet. Here are the pros and cons of driverless cars:
The Pros of Driverless Cars
- Driverless cars offer the possibility of increased public transportation opportunities.
- Driverless cars have faster reaction times than humans, which makes it possible for these cars to reduce the number of vehicular collisions that occur. Most accidents are a result of some sort of human error.
- The amount of land currently used for parking cars could drastically decrease. Since the cars can drive themselves, they can be parked anywhere and summoned later when needed.
- Autonomous cars don’t veer and sway as much as human drivers do, which means the lanes could be much smaller than they are now. Instead of being 12 feet wide like the lanes currently are on many roads, they could be seven feet wide, which in many cases could add an extra lane on the existing pavement.
- The amount of traffic congestion could decline significantly since autonomous vehicles have the ability to communicate with each other and warn one another of heavy traffic.
- Rideshares will become more and more prevalent, which means fewer cars overall will be necessary.
- Since you won’t have to focus on driving, you can use the time to do other things, such as work. That way you can make your commute part of your workday.
- With a boom of driverless cars on the road, thousands of new jobs would need to be created in order to serve all the needs of so many cars.
The Cons of Driverless Cars
- Accidents can still happen as a result of vehicle malfunctions or defects.
- Accidents may also happen due to human error since not all cars are driverless yet.
- When it comes to accidents, the question of liability is much more difficult to determine. There are more players involved, such as the vehicle and parts manufacturers.
- Heaps of jobs will disappear. Rideshare drivers (such as Uber and Lyft), taxi drivers, delivery drivers, truck drivers, bus drivers, and many other transit jobs will vanish. Insurance providers and vehicle maintenance jobs could also disappear or would need to be drastically restructured in order to remain relevant.
- People may become more sedentary, which has the potential to lead to adverse health conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, and even cancer.
- Autonomous cars could lead to more pedestrian injuries. No one can predict what pedestrians will do, which puts them in vulnerable positions around driverless cars.
- The current U.S. infrastructure is not set up for autonomous vehicles. America’s roads are already crumbling and not enough is done to address this issue. The problem will likely be significantly exacerbated by driverless cars because a great deal more of them are expected to be on the road.
- Self-driving cars are expensive. With all of the advanced technology like cameras, sensors, and processors, they have a lot going on and that tech comes with a hefty price tag.
While driverless cars offer significant potential, we have a long way to go as a society to get ready for what the future of transportation holds. Until then, we have to deal with commuting to work and finding parking.
If you’ve been injured in a car accident as a result of someone else’s negligence, you may be owed compensation. Our team is highly skilled in car accident injury law and has helped many others in similar situations. Let us see if we can help you, too.
Call Shapiro Law Firm, P.A. today at (850) 629-7226 for a free consultation.