On streets throughout the country, driverless cars are operating in tests on a regular basis, although these cars currently have human drivers standing by to take over if necessary. Industry predictions vary about when we will be able to purchase and operate completely driverless vehicles, but they are expected to become the norm.
Like it or not, we are headed toward situations where most vehicles on the roads operate with little human intervention. So, what are the pros and cons of this eventuality? What should we plan to take advantage of, and what should we be wary of? How should we prepare? Let’s take a look at what we can expect from driverless cars.
The Anticipated Benefits of Driverless Vehicles
While it is important to be aware of the potential drawbacks and safety concerns of driverless vehicles, these types of vehicles are expected to provide numerous advantages.
Recapturing Lost Time
Anyone who has ever been stuck in stop-and-go traffic understands what a tremendous waste of time and attention driving can be. If instead of paying attention to the road, people traveling by car could use the time to work or relax, then travel by driverless vehicle would have the effect of adding extra hours to the day. This benefit would be tremendous for many people who feel like they are always crunched for time.
Reduced Opportunity for Human Error
Proponents of driverless vehicles confidently predict that car and truck accidents will decrease dramatically when the potential for human error is taken out of the driving equation. After all, most car accidents are caused by some type of negligence or reckless behavior on the part of a driver. People pay attention to their cell phones rather than the road, they drive while impaired by alcohol or drugs, they eat breakfast or put on makeup while commuting, or they simply get drowsy or impatient and make mistakes behind the wheel. If the vehicle is monitoring conditions and taking appropriate actions, then it doesn’t matter how the human inside is behaving.
Traffic Flow Can Be Optimized
Even when humans are closely following traffic conditions on GPS and planning routes to avoid congestion, vehicles still end up stuck in long lines of traffic. If all or most vehicles were controlled by computerized systems that communicated with one another, traffic on the roads could be optimized to avoid congestion, saving time and energy.
Increased Accessibility
Under our current transportation model, people with visual or certain physical handicaps cannot drive themselves around. They must rely on transportation provided by others, whether a private driver or public transportation such as a bus or train. This can be severely limiting.
When driverless cars become a reality, many individuals who are unable to drive a traditional vehicle will be able to travel independently, greatly increasing their autonomy.
Potential Problems to Watch for with Driverless Vehicles
Although many commuters may eagerly anticipate the chance to turn over the driving to an automated car, driverless vehicles will not be perfect. Personal injury attorneys know that in a rush to sell new technology, companies do not always do enough testing or include the safety features necessary to protect the public. Here are some concerns to keep in mind regarding driverless vehicles.
Technical Problems Can Lead to Severe Injuries
Mechanical failures in cars, trucks, and other vehicles are common. However, human drivers generally react to the failure in a way that prevents or reduces the severity of collisions. For instance, if anti-lock brakes jam, a driver might shift the car into neutral and steer to the side of the road to avoid hitting other vehicles.
But when a computer is controlling the actions, the vehicle may not be handled in the same way. Even worse, when the technical problem involves the equipment that controls decisions about the vehicle’s operation, the problem may not be recognized and there be no corrective efforts whatsoever. An error could cause an accident or turn a minor danger into a collision with serious injuries or fatalities.
Interactions Between Computer-Controlled and Human Controlled Vehicles Will Be Unpredictable
Human drivers generally know what to expect from other human drivers, and computerized drivers will be the same way. However, when you put the two different types of drivers together, the results could be problematic.
A driverless vehicle may expect traffic to conform to certain patterns, and when a human driver fails to follow that pattern, it could set off a chain reaction that proves disastrous. Human drivers are also likely to be confused by the patterns of computerized drivers. For instance, a driverless car may slow down to optimize the handling of traffic congestion miles ahead of the timeframe in which a human driver is made aware of such congestion. The unexpected slowdown could result in a rear-end collision or other type of accident.
Automated Driving Features Provide a False Sense of Security
While we may be years away from seeing completely driverless vehicles on our highways, new cars are loaded with increasingly automated functions that assist the driver in detecting and reacting to conditions. These “safety features” can have an unsafe effect when they lull drivers into a false sense of security. When, for instance, drivers rely on the vehicle’s detection system to warn them of traffic beside them or obstacles behind them, they stop looking around for other vehicles and have less awareness of the situation around them, making them more liable to make a mistake and cause an accident.
Assessing Liability After an Accident Could Be Difficult
When a car accident results in serious injuries, the responsible person or company is generally required to compensate the victim. But in a collision involving one or more driverless vehicles, it may be very difficult to determine who should be held liable. Should the owner be responsible if they weren’t actually controlling the vehicle? Do you blame the manufacturer? The software producer? The programmer? Attorneys will need to dig deep to properly assess liability to obtain fair compensation for accident victims.
While the task of driving may continue to change, the one factor that will not change is the damage that can be done to someone’s life by a motor vehicle collision. Injuries destroy both physical and mental health, and can turn your future plans and dreams to ashes.
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