With more than 40 corporations making an active investment in autonomous vehicle technology, it’s fair to say that top classic automakers, as well as tech heavyweights, such as Google’s parent company Alphabet, are busy chasing the dream of autonomous cars.
As a result, we will most likely see the first fact of driverless self-driving cars on the market in the coming years. If this happens, self-driving cars have the perspective of our world and make everyday life a little easier. Here are five tactics that I think society will gain advantages from self-driving cars.
1. Make our paths safer
Although there have been high-profile cases of self-driving cars concerned with fatal tragic injuries, knowledge recommends that self-driving cars ultimately make our roads safer. Statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) show that the drive force error is by far the leading cause of traffic injuries, due to points such as miscalculation, misjudgment, speeding, alcohol consumption, and phone use. In fact, 94% of serious injuries are due to human error. Fully autonomous cars would eliminate human error from the equation, making our roads safer not only for driving forces, but also for passengers, cyclists and pedestrians. For this reason, NHTSA has championed the protection benefits of self-driving cars.
2. Alleviate parking problems
I also hoped that self-driving cars would park in congested cities, as driverless cars can also simply leave passengers and move. This becomes increasingly realistic if long-term motorists decide not to buy their own self-driving cars and instead use automatic car-sharing services or taxis. As an added benefit, with fewer people needing to locate a parking space, the land recently used for massive car parks can also be rebuilt for much-needed housing or public spaces. With this in mind, the city of Chandler, Arizona, has already changed its zoning legislation to accommodate autonomous cars; Developers will now be able to build homes with fewer parking spaces, as long as they provide passenger cargo spaces on the road. In other words, long-term buildings would probably no longer be flanked by huge, ugly car parks, but would concentrate on spaces dedicated to landfills and vans.
3. Make day-to-day life more bearable
When we succeed at the point where human intervention behind the wheel is no longer necessary, self-driving cars will particularly improve the daily journey. Imagine, instead of sitting behind the wheel, being able to lie on the back, paint or just relax and catch up on your new Netflix obsession. When you think Americans spend 19 full days of paintings a year in traffic jams on their way, it’s a long time that travelers will be able to recover.
4. Emission reduction (well, in theory)
In the future, most self-driving cars are electric or hybrid, and because self-driving cars drive more successfully than humans, we can see significant relief in emissions. That’s hope, anyway. An examination from the University of California, Davis suggests that automated cars can reduce greenhouse fuel emissions by up to 80% until 2050, but only if cars are electric and shared. If we don’t make the transition to more shared cars, then the prediction of concern is that emissions are actually accumulating (up to 50% until 2050, according to the same exam). Self-driving cars can make it imaginable to have a car for other people who can’t drive, which could expand the number of cars and miles traveled. As a result, this merit is far from acquired. As a society, we will want to reconsider our attitude towards car ownership if we want to make the most of the environmental benefits of self-driving cars.
5. Reduction of air travel
Volvo’s 360c concept car, which was unveiled in 2018, gives a long-term idea in which self-driving cars are no longer just cars: they get to work, sleep and backward. Almost a cross between a hotel room and the first class cabin of an airplane. Volvo’s vision is a long and luxurious driverless race in which a car can pick you up and take you wherever you want to go, potentially eliminating the need for short-haul home air. With the Volvo concept, you can order a car, pre-order food and beverages, then lie back and lie down in the back while the car transports you to its destination. You arrive completely new and kicked, without having endured either the tension or exhaustion of AirArray. Especially for night trips, this vision can seriously disrupt the industry and reduce the carbon footprint of the Array-related car.
This shift towards self-driving cars is just one of 25 technological trends that we will reshape in our society. Learn more about these key trends, adding many concrete examples, in my new book, Technological Trends in Practice: the 25 technologies that are driving the 4th industrial revolution.
Bernard Marr is a world-successful author, popular speaker, business advisor, and futuristic and strategic generation for governments and businesses. That
Bernard Marr is a world-successful author, popular speaker, business advisor, and futuristic and strategic generation for governments and businesses. It is helping organizations to their business performance, use knowledge smarter, and perceive the implications of new technologies, such as synthetic intelligence, great knowledge, blockchains, and the Internet of Things. Why not be attached with Bernard on Twitter (@bernardmarr), LinkedIn (https://uk.linkedin.com/in/bernardmarr) or instagram (bernard.marr)?