Reduced Accidents

It is the most obvious and the most important benefit of having driverless cars. Most accidents are caused more than human error than the car’s systems. A car that relies on computer vison, radar, GPS and more to detect its surroundings is less likely to suffer aggressive or distracted driving that causes traffic collisions. Cars will most likely be the safest way to travel. This has the effect of rendering vehicle insurance redundant although we can expect auto-insurance to evolve with changing needs. The risk to pedestrians or cyclists remains unknown. This is because it depends on whether the pedestrian will be able to change their behavior in accordance with automated vehicles. Like all things human behavior, this is very hard to predict or quantify.

Owning vs. Renting a Car

Instead of owning a car, like we do today, it is very likely that we’d rent one. The model is expected to be kind of like hailing a cab, the way you would with Uber but a driverless one. So, it will be more “mobility as a service” than renting a car. It is therefore accurate to expect that more Uber-type companies will spring up to capitalize on this niche. More so because there will be need for specialized services such as cars for long-distance trips or for many people. That doesn’t mean people won’t own cars. It will come down to preference but “renting” will be the more logical choice for many.

Businesses will Save on Costs

It goes without saying that driverless cars will significantly reduce the cost of doing business. in the obvious way, labor costs will reduce because there is no need to hire drivers. Also, because they use reliable systems to navigate and are thereby safer, speed limits will be lifted. The faster we get goods from one place to another, the cheaper it is to do business. One car can make more trips. It is not too much to hope that this will in turn reduce the cost of certain goods. Although, they are not businesses per say, local governments will also significantly reduce costs thanks to driverless cars. If all cars automatically observe traffic rules, there is no need to have traffic cops. Police efforts can be redirected elsewhere.

You Decide to Be the Driver or Passenger

Just because they are known as driverless or robotic cars, doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy driving. Quite the contrary. They allow for more flexibility by giving you the option to drive or let the automated systems do the driving for you. As a matter of fact, whether you choose to drive or not. You still maintain complete control over the vehicle. You can switch between passenger and driver as you see fit although this will only apply to those who choose to own self-driving cars.

Suggested Read: Volvo is stepping into Self Driving Cars

Which Begs the Question; Will I need to Learn how to Drive?

You would think that since the car drives itself there will be no need for driving lessons or driving tests. Well we said the complicated answer is yes and no. Yes, you will need to learn how to operate the automated vehicle if you plan on buying your own. There are certain aspects of the driverless car that will still require human input. You may still enjoy the driverless car if you never learn how to drive because, well, it drives itself. But you may be restricted from owning one. In regard to driver’s test, it is entirely possible that you may still have to pass one. But the test will be different and tailored to a specific car. It may be a simple automated test that allows you to drive a car with a particular automated system. So, the test will not be on how to drive the car, but on how to operate the automated systems required to drive the car.

What of Traffic Jams?

While traffic gridlock is often reliant on a lot more factors than just human nature, automated vehicles are expected to reduce this as well. They can travel closer together more safely than human drivers can and as such congestion will reduce with the smooth flow of traffic. More cars will fit on a highway, increasing the capacity of the roads and reducing gridlock.

Are Driverless Cars Safe?

In terms of preventing road accidents, they ae completely safe. But their automated systems do make them vulnerable to hacking. The basic make up of an automated vehicle will include more control units. Things like Wi-Fi connections, computing power and more that were once outside a vehicle will now be inside it. A hacker could exploit a weakness in any one of these systems and take control of the vehicle. In this case, we can only hope to rely on manufacturers to ensure their security systems will prevent this. Just like we expect Smartphone system providers like Apple to have such systems so will future automated car makes employ the same principles. With companies like Google, Uber and Apple in the race to create the first usable automatic vehicle, it’s safe to say hacking is a risk they are equipped to handle. In fact, many acknowledge the risk and are already developing hacker-proof systems. So, while the driverless car will revolutionize the very near future of travel. It is expected that we will adapt to it in encouraging ways. The law as always may take while to catch up but governments are not that far behind either. Many driving laws recognize the existence of the “driver” and it’s obvious they’ll have to change their approach in the future. In regards to learning how to drive and passing a driver’s test don’t worry, automated cars may make the process even easier.