The Positives of Self-Driving Cars
“If you recognize that self-driving cars are going to prevent car accidents, AI will be responsible for reducing one of the leading causes of death in the world.”
— Mark Zuckerberg
Self Driving Cars have become the central technology in humanity’s quest to build Artificial Intelligence. There have been many people who have strongly signified the benefits of this technology and there are people who have signified the risks. Regardless of these opinions, many companies such as Google, Apple, Tesla, and Uber have already been involved in this field and have multiple self-driving car prototypes. Although there are arguments over the specific year when self-driving cars will be released to the public, many experts agree that it will occur sometime this decade. In this article, I will explore the positives behind this incredible piece of technology. In a later article, I will explore the downsides and risks that are associated with this technology.
Reduction of car accidents:
This is the most commonly known benefit of Self-Driving cars, and the biggest positive behind autonomous cars. In the US, over 36,120 people have died as a result of motor vehicle accidents in 2019, and the number is much higher globally (1.35 million). The most disturbing statistic of all is that 93–94% of those crashes are caused by some form of human error (NHTSA’s 2008 National Motor Vehicle Crash Causation Survey). It is especially troubling when motor accidents constitute the 3rd largest cause of death in the US and the 8th largest cause of death in the world.
Many studies conclude that a majority of these unfortunate deaths can be prevented by the implementation of self-driving cars. It is because autonomous cars would save a majority of lives that would have been lost as a result of motor accidents. As shown through the infographic that is presented below, about 79% of fatality causes (Drunk Driving, Speeding, and Distractions) can be easily solved by self-driving cars as those causes don’t apply to them. The only conditions that can’t be easily solved by self-driving cars at this juncture are bad weather and miscellaneous causes. However, most of those problems can also be partly solved within a few years of self-driving cars implementation on roads.
Decreased Traffic Congestion:
This benefit largely depends on what percent of cars on the road are self-driving cars, but even small percentages can have vastly positive effects. It is shown through multiple studies that traffic which spaces out about the length of 3–4 cars between each car will cause traffic to move smoothly, regardless of how many cars there are on the road. This is because cars don’t have to stop to allow cars from freeways, which is one of the major causes of traffic delays. However, we cannot trust human drivers to follow these guidelines, leading to unnecessary traffic delays that have a simple solution in theory.
Fortunately, this problem is one of the easiest problems for Self-Driving cars to solve once they are implemented. Self-Driving cars have been programmed to communicate with other autonomous cars. Through the use of the platooning algorithm, two or more self-driving cars in relative proximity to each other can communicate. Through proper communication, self-driving cars can precisely calculate the optimal stopping distance that is needed to keep the traffic flow as smooth as possible. In a study conducted by the Federal Highway Administration at Aberdeen Proving Ground, five Cadillacs with platooning capabilities and automated longitudinal control were evaluated for their communication and traffic flow. Aside from some minor issues, the research team found that the traffic flow was much smoother than human-driven cars in highways. Along with platooning, self-driving cars can also accurately predict the optimal stopping distance behind a human-driven car, which will also make traffic flow much smoother. This benefit gets more effective and notable when more cars on the road are self-driving.
More access to the elderly and the disabled:
This one might be one of the most overlooked benefits of self-driving cars. If cars are fully autonomous, it can allow people who are disabled or elderly to go anywhere in their vehicle instead of relying on others or public transportation to do the same. However, a major catch of this benefit is that autonomous cars should reach level 5 autonomy (complete autonomy) for the elderly and disabled to travel in their car. This is because, in any other level of autonomy, the human driver might have to take over in case something wrong happens with the system, which the elderly and disabled wouldn’t be able to do. However, in level 5 autonomy, the car is fully self-driving and the human driver doesn’t have to take over.
The same technology could also allow people to rent self-driving taxis instead of buying their self-driving car or riding in a normal taxi. This would drastically reduce costs for many people and would allow people who can’t afford to buy self-driving cars an opportunity to travel to their destination without paying the high amounts that traditional taxis might charge. This benefit can become a reality to many people once self-driving cars reach a level where they are truly autonomous.
As with every technology, there are pros and cons of self-driving cars. There are many companies and individuals who are working hard to maximize the benefits while minimizing the downsides. It is important for us to understand both the benefits and risks of a new emerging technology to make better decisions. I highly encourage everyone who read this article to explore more about self-driving cars. In a future article, I will address the downsides of self-driving cars in order to help everyone gain a better picture of this technology that would possibly alter the future of humanity.
