With the constant advancing of driverless and autonomous cars technology, it’s becoming more and more likely that you’ll encounter them either as taxis, ubers or even as a new vehicle that you purchase. Though the technology is still in early developmental and testing stages, it’s important to familiarize yourself with autonomous cars, as they will become more and more common in the coming years. These are just some of the pros and cons that the technology of driverless cars offer and are important to consider as they continue to develop and advance.

Pros

• Reduced Amount of Accidents– Human error is the cause of 81% of all car crashes so naturally the biggest positive from computer-controlled vehicles is the reduced amount of car accidents that would occur. Taking the danger out of driving is one of the key reasons that automated cars have come as far as they have so far.
• Eliminates “Distracted Driving”– A computer has no reason to be distracted, distracted driving is one of the leading causes of accidents in the U.S whether it’s checking the radio, texting or talking on the phone, eliminating the risk of being distracted is a huge plus.
• Cost Effective– Self-driving cars will also help save money. A value of about $9.2 million is put on each human life; an increase of autonomous vehicles will mean less money being spent on things like healthcare and insurance costs.
• Helps Disabled Individuals– For individuals that have to rely on public transportation or the help of others to get everywhere they may need to go, self-driving cars can provide enhanced mobility and a new sense of freedom.
• Reduced Congestion and Traffic– Varying speeds and impatient drivers can lead to excessive traffic and congestion on roads and freeways. Self-driving cars will help cut that down as the computers in them can communicate easily with one another to not only reduce and improve traffic but also detect incidents or potential incidents early on.
• Reduced Drunk Driving Incidents– With no need for a designated driver or risk of drunk drivers getting behind the wheel, self-driving cars will help to keep the number of drunk driving or DUI incidents down as well.

While added and extra safety is something that improves the roads for everyone, there are cons for the technology that can’t be ignored.

Cons

• Extremely Expensive– The technology may be simply too expensive for most Americans. The current cost of engineering, power, and computer requirements car, software and sensor installation adds up to more than $100,000. Owning a self-driving car may simply be too expensive for most drivers to take advantage of.
• Need to be Widely Adopted– If self-driving cars prove to not be very popular and there aren’t too many widely adopted onto the roads, then there will still be a high volume of human controlled cars which means accidents will still be a common issue and danger.
• Open to Hacking– The technology and security of a self-driving car can be of extreme interest to computer hackers, which can put drivers at risk and also runs the risk of completely compromising the integrity of the technology.
• Eliminate Jobs– While it would help those that depend on public transportation and traffic, automated vehicles get rid of jobs like freight transportation and taxi drivers. This would have a negative impact on both the economy and the unemployment rate.
• Who Is At Fault in an Accident?– An important fact to consider is that in the event of an accident, there is no legal precedent. Who would be to blame should an accident occur? The driver, the software developer or the manufacturer themselves? Any legal proceedings could be long and extremely hard to sort out.

Final Thought

Automated cars have plenty of benefits and would help millions of people across the country in terms of safer travel and more freedom to go where they need to. However, the dangers and lack of precedents could lead to numerous issues early on while the high cost of the technology may make it simply too expensive to manage. Automated cars are still in early development and testing stages so we’re still a ways away before dealerships everywhere are selling them but it’s important to consider the pros and cons before widely adopting them.