With the advent of self-driving cars such as those by Google and the mass production of semi-autonomous cars like Tesla, it seems like the future of the drivers seat is in jeopardy. As with any technology, self-driving cars have brought about plenty of discussion. Despite the ethical and safety concerns about autonomous driving, the technology is likely to reduce accidents by eliminating human error which will, in turn, lead to economic cost savings.
In many road accident scenarios, at least one of the drivers is usually at fault. This serves as the main logic behind having autonomous vehicles. Logic dictates that by eliminating the cause or the risk factor, the possibility of an action occurring, diminish. Using that line of thought, one can say that by removing a driver from the drivers seat, the chances of a human error occurring while driving reduces. People are prone to distractions and mistakes while driving. However, most of the times, people are lucky enough to get away with it. For instance, that moment when someone looks down at their phone to read a text or to find out their callers ID. Such momentary distractions can have dire consequences especially when the driver is started by an unexpected occurrence.
Furthermore, when individuals operate vehicles for extended durations without any incidences, they tend to develop a false feeling of confidence. Such perceptions make a driverless keen on their surroundings and less interested in potential dangers. Also, there could be actions that are wrong that are committed by people but since they got away with them during the first couple of times, the feel confident enough to repeat them. Such behaviors increase the risks of an accident happening. By eliminating the need for a driver, people can then spend time gazing at their otherwise illegal distractions.
One of the ethical and philosophical issues that has been brought up numerous times with regards to self-driving cars has to do with the moral dilemma of whether a vehicle should be programmed to kill its occupants or pedestrians. However, such an argument causes unnecessary fear among people. As much as it is a fun discussion, it is not a priority in the manufacture of autonomous vehicles (Shoemaker). To understand the limitation of the importance of such an argument one has to compare the number of vehicles on the road at any given time and the percentage of accidents. For instance, in the US, there are 263 million vehicles that have been registered between 1990 and 2015 (Number of Vehicles). Annual death statistics show that 37,000 people die from road accidents (Annual United States Road Crash Statistics). Even if one was to make the exaggerated assumption that all the individuals who die each year from accidents have separate cars, the number of vehicles that get involved in accidents is still small.
On top of that, Schaper notes that up to 94% of all road accidents are caused by human error. This is almost all of the crash statistics. 94% is equivalent to 34,780 deaths. The rest of the accident related deaths are usually attributed to mechanical failure which can be solved by increasing the ability of cars to withstand wear and tear.
Aside from the prevention of fatalities, the use of self-driving cars will result in significant cost savings. Copeland states that according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, road accidents leave an economic dent of more than 871 billion dollars each year. These losses come about because of the loss of life and a decreased quality of life. After an accident, individuals have to spend significant amounts of money in healthcare costs (Copeland). Others do not recover fully. Also, during the recovery period, victims are not as productive as they were when fully healthy (Copeland). The economic impact may have a domino effect which worsens the situation.
For example, if a parent who is the sole or primary breadwinner gets injured, his/her dependents may not be able to attend school or have a decent life. Aside from healthcare costs, road crash victims may incur legal fees which arise from lawsuits. By eliminating the need for drivers, economies across the globe are likely to enjoy significant savings. Peoples productivity will not be curtailed due to death or injuries.
Admittedly, there are some drawbacks towards the use of self-driving cars. For one, they rely on computers. This puts cars at risk of being hacked by other people. If the hacking is done maliciously, then passengers will be in danger of being killed or injured. Also, the system may require human input in some instances where the sensors are faulty. Further, since people will not be used to driving cars, the drivers will be mostly inexperienced and may put themselves or others at risk. Lastly, for these systems to be well integrated, they need to be widely adopted. If some people refuse to get driverless vehicles, accidents will still occur. Perhaps some of the solutions to the listed problems would be to ensure that drivers get periodic training, the use of top-notch encryption and redundancy systems to prevent hacking and to use legislation to compel drivers to get vehicles with some degree of autonomy.
Despite the ethical and safety concerns about autonomous driving, the technology is likely to reduce accidents by eliminating human error, which will, in turn, lead to economic cost savings. Autonomous vehicles will reduce incidences of intoxicated or distracted driving which causes accidents. Financial cost savings will result from reduced healthcare, insurance, and legal expenses. However, key issues of security and having a human backup need to be addressed before these products can gain widespread adoption.
Work Cited
Annual United States Road Crash Statistics. Association for Safe International Road Travel. N.p., 2017. Web. 24 Apr. 2017.
Copeland, Larry. "Staggering Toll: Car Crashes Cost $871 Billion A Year". USA TODAY. N.p., 2014. Web. 24 Apr. 2017.
Number Of Vehicles Registered In The United States From 1990 To 2015 (In 1,000S). Statista. Web. 24 Apr. 2017.
Schaper, David. Human Errors Drive Growing Death Toll In Auto Crashes. NPR. N.p., 2016. Web. 24 April 2017.
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