In today's fast moving world, technology and new inventions are popping up every day, making life easier on us. The auto and transportation industry is no different. We have seen this industry progress very quickly in the past few years. Seeing the invention of electric vehicles, more efficient vehicles and now including the amount of autonomous safety features, the question is often brought up, what will the auto industry look like in ten years? While the answer may still be years away, here are three reasons why autonomous or driverless vehicles will be here sooner rather than later.
1. Humans are bad drivers. If the industry moves to being 100% autonomous or self-driving, the need for us human drivers would be completely eliminated. This would bring down accidents and auto related fatalities nearly by 100%. While it is hard to imagine no human drivers on the road, it makes sense when we see how safe these autonomous safety features can keep us. Not all drivers are bad, but in today's technologically driven world almost everyone you see will have a smartphone in their hand or pocket. And the same goes for while they are behind the wheel. These smartphones allow drivers to become easily distracted which results in accidents and injuries, often deadly. You cannot put all the blame on smart phone use however, other things like eating, doing your makeup, fixing the radio, smoking and even talking to your friend in the passenger seat are all easy distractions. It is important to just focus on driving.
2. Technology is making us more comfortable. Technology arguably runs our lives. It surrounds us and makes our daily lives easier. The same goes for these driverless vehicles and their technologies. These new safety features have come around so quickly and the art has nearly been perfected. It is almost impossible to find a new car without some sort of autonomous safety feature. Anything from voice control, rear-view cameras, automatic parking, connected wi-fi and Bluetooth and automatic braking you can expect to see. As these additions become even more common and present in our driving experiences, we will get more comfortable and used to them. And once we realize the ease and safety that these features provide, we won't look back.
3. Everyone can be apart of the autonomous industry. From young children to old grandparents or those with a disability, anyone can use these autonomous driving services. The safety and ease of use of these self-driving vehicles will allow anyone to get to their destination, even if you were not able to physically drive regardless of the reason. This will make transportation easier and safer, especially for the disabled and elderly community. These self-driving vehicles will gives us more freedom, independence and options for everyone. Imagine your next road trip not having to worry about driving, directions or how your grandparent might get there. Driverless vehicles and the safety features they come equipped with may be revolutionary, not only to the transportation and automobile industry, but also to those people who might have felt left out all of these years.
The use and addition of autonomous vehicles into the industry would be huge, helping to create safer roads, more opportunity and a better industry. Companies all over have been pouring money and time into these self-driving features and vehicles to perfect them. And not just automakers, companies like Uber, Google and Amazon have begun to invest into these fields. While this change may not happen for another five to ten years, once we get a taste of the autonomous industry we will never look back.
by Jacob LePretre in Technology
