The big question is: will self-driving cars soon replace man-driven cars? Then, why should you bother learning to drive? It’s like buying a house that has been marked for demolition by the local authority. Well, this also means there will soon be no driving schools.
Driverless cars are indeed the next big thing, but how soon? Now, let’s face it: driving a car is fun; driving is not always about the need to arrive at your destination as fast as possible or less tired. Some folks enjoy driving and won’t find it easy to let go of this ritual. So will they be the casualties of the Artificial Intelllience Revolution? Let’s find out.
How Does a Self-Driven Car Works?
Now, some people confuse a self-driven car with an automatic transmission car. For starters, a self-driven car is designed on the premise of complete self-control. You enter it, indicate your destination, and it gets you there, relying on its GPS or something similar that maps the streets. You can sleep, read, scroll your phone or paint your nails as the car auto-drives.
Once you get to your destination, the car stops, and you alight. Should an accident happen when you are in a self-driven car, it is not your fault, but the manufacturer’s or the car’s itself.
How Efficient Are The Current Self-Driven Cars?
The self-driving car models that have so far been experimented are able to traverse a crowded parking lot, press the emergency brake when need be, deliver a product to a customer and return to the station, provided the weather is good. They also operate better on wide roads.
Technology is yet to come up with a driverless vehicle that can bear harsh weather. One thing about the weather is that it is not always predictable.
Self-driven vehicles can also not make decisions outside their programming. For instance, it cannot decide to overtake the car in front to save time. Driving requires an element of aggressiveness that a driverless car may lack. Driving is a complicated affair and is not that easy to program.
Moreover, you cannot enter into a self-driven car and indicate you want to be taken to a place that is not in the car’s system.
Finally, machines do fail at times. A self-driven car can misjudge intent and make wrong turns.
Why Do We Need Self-Driving Cars?
The transportation industry is expected to benefit immensely from self-driving vehicles. Here are the possible advantages of self-driving vehicles:
1 Lower Price
Take self-driving trucks, for instance: since their advent, the cost of moving freight has significantly come down where they are used. Once the technology has improved enough to allow self-driving trucks to travel long distances and across the states, many companies would not have to hire drivers. Therefore, the cost of transportation would come down.
2 Fewer Accidents
Most accidents have to do with human error (read not paying attention or disregarding the traffic rules). Driverless vehicles are packed with sensors to help them maneuver the road while obeying the traffic rules. They never overspeed. There is little room for errors, so they are expected to be more accurate than humans.
For people who don’t like driving because they have to pay much attention, a self-driving car is the best option.
3 Work Made Easier
Machines have always been designed primarily to make work easier or more efficient. Self-driving cars will thus complement the efforts of a human driver. A tired, fatigued, sleepy, or drunk driver may switch the car to a self-driving mode for safety purposes.
What To Expect When The Self-Driving Cars Finally Become Popular
1 Designated Areas For Only Self-Driving
It would reach a point that certain areas are set aside for only self-driving vehicles. There would be laws barring human-driven vehicles in these areas.
2 Fewer Jobs for Drivers
Of course, there would be lesser jobs for driving professionals, whichever angle you look at it. A taxi company using only self-driven cars wouldn’t be paying salaries to anyone. At times a revolution eats its own children.
So, Will Self-Driven Cars Soon Replace Man-Driven Cars?
We are not too sure, but, practically, it is not possible that self-driving vehicles would replace traditional vehicles in the near future. That is not happening in your lifetime, by the look of things. You can even blame even the coronavirus for the delay.
In the distant future, driverless cars might become the preferred mode of auto transportation, but that’s still DISTANT. Remember, the roads and traffic rules as we know them will have to be overhauled for driverless cars to take over completely. The transition process is mind-boggling.
It’s also unclear whether the self-driving cars will be owned by citizens or companies, with citizens only hopping into any when moving somewhere. Who will be managing the control room as your self-driven car drops you to work, returns home to pick your kid for school, then waiting to come to pick you from work in the evening? The point is, we still have a long way to go. The logistics are not in place as of now.
As we have pointed out, some people love to drive. Think of those weekends you wish for a long trip on the road to give your subconscious time to think things through. Airplanes did not completely replace cars, and motorcycles did not completely replace bicycles. We still use motorcycles and bicycles interchangeably. Why? Because there is a time and situation for each. There is a time to ride a horse and a time to ride a bicycle.
Wrapping It Up
We are in the era of artificial intelligence (AI). You will soon see machines or robots with capabilities greater than humans. But we cannot pinpoint when exactly the traditional machines are set aside to give way to the new world order.
As things stand, we are still where we were last year: to drive a car, you need to join a driving school or get trained at home by an experienced driver. Once you have learned to drive, you apply for the driving license, which you only get once your competency is certified by the DMV.
Humans will continue to need licenses to drive cars until the day the self-driven vehicles will officially replace the traditional vehicles 100%. That’s at least 50 years from now, if ever it can happen.
For that reason, don’t hesitate to join a driving school today to learn to drive. Pierre Paul Driving School is one option you can consider if you are around Brooklyn, New York State.