Over the years, the automobile industry has seen many technological changes, the most notable one being self-driving cars. These vehicles do not need human drivers; instead, they use software and sensors to navigate, control, and move (Nielsen & Haustein, 2018). These cars can have substantial economic savings in the U.S. This paper seeks to establish how such auto technology could transform the U.S. transportation industry.
When building a self-driving car, certain features should be incorporated. The first one would be sensing the road, followed by mapping it and negotiating one’s place on the lanes. The latter is one of the reasons drivers opt to undertake driving lessons. Excellent road safety and a reduced number of car crashes leading the list are significant benefits. 94% of incidents are caused by driver error or behavior, which can be addressed with this auto technology (Nielsen & Haustein, 2018). Autonomy in its high levels can lower the dangerous driver behaviors in the United States. Automated driving could also impact American wallets in several ways. With this technology come a number of benefits, including reducing work time, crashes, and medical bills.
Despite these great features, close to 3 out of 4 Americans still do not trust this technology. Various skeptics have emerged from many quarters regarding the viability of autonomous cars (Nielsen & Haustein, 2018). It is feared that these cars will not work until they get as smart as their drivers. One of the arguments against this technology is by Brooks (2017), who claims that the viability of these cars will be short-lived. He argues that there are some unusual circumstances that they would not handle, for example, the winter season. Since self-driving cars would be entirely based on machine learning, it will be difficult to screen them rigorously (Coeckelbergh, 2016). As such, to counter this argument, it is recommended that sensors, artificial intelligence, and safety and security cameras be considered to make these cars safer on the roads.
In conclusion, self-driving car is a breakthrough in the automobile industry. There are many arguments against this technology, for example, their viability will only last for a short time, and they may not handle certain situations. One example of the unusual situations these vehicles may not handle is cruising through the snow during winter. Nevertheless, autonomous cars have more pros than cons; thus, they can be considered a welcome technology.
References
Brooks, R. (2017). The big problem with self-driving cars is people. IEEE Spectrum. Web.
Coeckelbergh, M. (2016). Responsibility and the moral phenomenology of using self-driving cars. Applied Artificial Intelligence, 30(8), 748-757.
Nielsen, T. A. S., & Haustein, S. (2018). On sceptics and enthusiasts: What are the expectations towards self-driving cars? Transport policy, 66, 49-55. Web.