The automotive sector is one area where technology is developing very rapidly. From developments in green technology to forward emergency braking in luxury vehicles, innovation is at the heart of the automotive sector. Autonomous vehicles promise to be a thundering technology, able to revolutionize our society in many ways, just like any other groundbreaking discovery.
Essentially, these self-driving cars use a vast array of sensors to understand the environment around the vehicle and use this information to navigate through the streets to your destination without the need for assistance from a human.
One of the main reasons behind the development of driverless vehicles is the potential to significantly reduce the number of road traffic accidents, some of which can be fatal. Human error is a natural part of life but when this occurs behind the wheel of a car, it can lead to catastrophic consequences which driverless vehicles are designed to avoid.
Although driverless vehicles present many new opportunities and advantages but there are numerous disadvantages behind the use of these vehicles including the high costs involved. Here we are going to discuss some of the pros and cons of them.
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Pros of Driverless Cars
Reduce the number of accidents
When people will travel in driverless cars then the accidents happening on the roads due to human errors will be reduced. Over 80% of automobile crashes are a result of human error. If computers will control the vehicles then there could be fewer road accidents which will consequently reduce the insurance cost and damages. It uses complicated algorithms that determine the correct stopping distance from one vehicle to another and lessen the chances of accidents.
Reduce traffic jams
Autonomous cars communicate well with each other. Platoon system allows automated highway system which may significantly reduce congestion and improve traffic by increasing up the lane capacity. This allows the vehicles to brake or accelerates simultaneously. They can also identify traffic problems early on and detect road fixing and detours instantly.
Helpful for disable people
Driverless cars would make it possible for many disabled people to move around independently. They don’t have to rely on public transportation or other people to get around which is a great advantage for them.
No issue for parking
Autonomous cars can drop you at your destination and can directly head to a vacant parking spot. This will benefit a lot of people working in busy cities where finding a parking spot during office timings become a hassle.
Cons of Driverless Cars
Expensive technology
The amount of software and technology that’s required to build a driverless vehicle is likely to be quite expensive, meaning these costs need to be recouped through high sales prices. Driverless cars use technologies that cost an average of $100,000 per vehicle as of 2018.
They prepare a large amount of money for research and development as well as in choosing the finest and most functional materials needed such as the software, modified vehicle parts, and sensors. Thus, the cost of having Autonomous cars is initially higher. However, this may lower down after 10 years giving way for the average earner people to have one.
Hacking issue
Autonomous vehicles could be the next major target of hackers as this vehicle continuously tracks and monitors the details of the owner. People can access specific control mechanisms in some makes and models to the extent that the driver loses control over their automobile.
There have been demonstrations in the past where standard vehicles have been hacked, allowing the hackers to slam the brakes on or accelerate the car rapidly. This may also lead to a possible collection of personal data. If a driverless vehicle was to be hacked, it’s been suggested that there’s less of an opportunity for a passenger to correct any errors.
Sensors problem
If driverless vehicles rely on sensors placed all around the car to assess conditions and navigate traffic, what happens if one or more sensors get damaged? Sensors’ failures often happened during drastic weather conditions. This may not work during a blizzard or a heavy snowfall.
Snowy roadways where chains are required may not provide enough visual resources for the sensors on the vehicles to operate properly. When there are heavy rains occurring, then serious problems with the laser sensors mounted on the vehicle can occur. That means humans would be responsible for navigating through potentially severe issues, which means there must still be a skill taught for driving even if we fully adapt to this technology.
The pros and cons of driverless vehicles show our technology still needs to be developed and tested. Autonomous cars may provide us significant comfort with reduced traffic and accidents but still, the high cost needs to be tackled. New advances in the field of artificial technology provide us with the hope that it could become a reality one day.
It seems that there’s still a way to go in testing these vehicles before introducing them to the mass market, making sure that the positives significantly outweigh any negatives.