January 15, 2015

Will Self-Driving Cars Make Us Bad Drivers?

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According to tech experts, self-driving cars are the future. However, despite the obvious benefits of having a car do the driving for you, a recent article by the Independent, 43% of people surveyed wouldn't trust a self-driving car.

Commissioned by uSwtich.com, the survey aimed to get the general public's reaction to the news that a small selection of self-driving cars are to be tested in four British cities in 2015. Although many people are intrigued by the latest technological developments, 16% of the people asked were "horrified" by the prospect of car having control of itself.

Since this seems to be one of the hottest topics of debate in the world of motoring at the moment, it raises the question: will self-driving cars make us bad drivers? Although I'm not an expert on how these self-driving cars will operate, I am a mother and it's made me think about the potential safety issues of having a car drive itself. 

 At present the UK is one of the safest driving nations in Europe. Through a combination of driving theory and practical testing, strict vehicle safety standards (through MOTs) and a host of speed control measures, it's safer to drive in the UK than many countries in the EU.
Are Autonomous Cars Bad for the UK's Safety Reputation?

However, could the proliferation of self-driving cars impact on this reputation? While some would say yes, simply because we'd be relinquishing control to a computer; others would say no. Although a car may be able to drive itself, we will still need to know how to drive.

For example, a commercial airline pilot has to go through a strict training routine in order to gain their licence to fly a plane. Yet, when the pilot actually takes to the skies, much of the flying is done automatically.

The same will likely be true for self-driving cars. If a driver doesn't know basic driving theory or how to react to certain conditions then it will be a disaster. However, if the person sitting in a self-driving car knows how to drive a manual car then everything should be ok? Right? 

In my opinion, it seems inevitable that cars will become at least semi-autonomous in the next few years. Would I trust myself or a member of my family in one? Not yet. Although the UK is a great place to drive, I don't think we're quite ready as a society to give over control of such a powerful machine to a computer but I wouldn't bet against that changing within the next decade....

...and car techy guys..If you are gonna design a space type car for these new self drive vehicles! please bare in mind us retro gals! and please design something more in line with these vintage cadillacs above...ooh I could just be persuaded to buy a self driven car, if it looked like one of these!