I want to start by expressing this has nothing to do with the recent events regarding Toyota and their sticky accelerator.
Autopilot on Automobiles, Coming Soon?
Torrance, CA. Only blocks from where my office is located, sits the corporate HQ of Toyota/Lexus, Honda, and Nissan. Ive grown accustomed to seeing
all the new, secret, test vehicles being driven around on the quiet street outside my window. They always have a black leather car cover covering the
entire body, with just the windows cut out, so people have no clue what they're seeing, or what manufacturer the car is. If you happen to get close
enough to one of these prototypes you'll notice the interior is always covered in a blue plastic film. Clearly, the competitive nature of the auto
industry requires the aforementioned companies to work around the clock, developing the newest, coolest, or most technological advancements for their
products.
Next door to my office building is a nice little cafe, frequented bv many of these auto execs due to its convenience, and the fact that its owned by a
friendly Japanese family. Yesterday, I was next door ordering my lunch as usual, when I saw something drive up that made me do a double take. It was
one of these typical looking prototype vehicles, except the driver drove into the parking spot, and got out on the passenger side. I assumed it was
just foreign style, with the steering wheel/pedals on the right hand side. On further inspection I could clearly see this was not the case. The
steering wheel was on the left side, but there was NO drivers side seat! The man must have called his order in because he walked in, picked up his
food and left while I was still waiting for mine. When he opened the passenger side door to get in, I could clearly see that in the spot where the
drivers seat should be was only a camera on a tripod, facing the wheel, dashboard, and pedals. I saw him type something in to a keyboard, and off he
went. The car drove itself while he sat there holding a clipboard and his bag of food. It all happened so fast that when I went for my phone to take a
picture, I realized I had left it on my desk, and that there was no chance of making it back in time.
I instantly thought back to a few years ago when a buddy of mine (who works for Lexus) told me that within ten years all new cars would be able to
drive themselves. I chalked it up to the fact that he had more than a few drinks in him, and that he was exaggerating. Lexus does make cars that can
parallel park themselves. After seeing the prototype yesterday that
drove itself, I'm convinced that what my buddy said could be a very real
possibility. It makes sense, almost every car is equipped with GPS now, as well as sensors on the bumpers to avoid collisions. Mercedes-Benz makes
cars that will avoid objects themselves if the driver cannot. There was talk of this in the media two years ago
here
here and
here Just to name a few.
But what does this mean for the public?
I would absolutely love to use the hours and hours I spend driving on other things, like say learning a new language, playing guitar, or perusing ATS.
Even better would be not having to worry about bad drivers, DUI's, or speeding tickets. Granted, there would have to be a manual over ride function
for safety reasons, & I'm sure some people would still like to drive their fun sports cars.
But, what would happen to the many many traffic cops? Would they be out of a job? Or would they have to spend their time going after
real
criminals? (No offense to LE's, not trying to make this into yet another cop bashing thread. I'd actually love to hear their take on this)
What about local city and state governments? Wouldn't they have less public funds to squander if they lost their ability to rake in money from all
those red light cameras, traffic tickets, DUI arrests? How would the laws change?
Would this mean more checkpoint traffic stops, looking for outstanding warrants, or illegal substances? After all, if police rarely pulled over
vehicles, there would be
so many more people trafficking contraband.
Would this mean an increase in alcoholism and drug use, since drivers would no longer worry about driving inebriated?
What would this do to the economy? The companies and jobs based around car accidents?
Would this eliminate traffic collisions? How would that affect insurance companies?
Who would be to blame if the car malfunctioned and killed people?
Are we putting too much faith in technology? Especially after the recent events with the sticky accelerators?
Most importantly, keeping all these questions in mind, would TPTB ever let this come to fruition? Or will this technology go the way of the electric
car? (I recommend watching the movie "Who Killed The Electric Car." It goes into detail how the government quietly killed off the electric car
without anyone noticing)
The more I think about this, the more I realize it would really change our daily lives, even society in general, for better...or for worse. I know the
good people and critical thinkers of ATS would help shed some light on this topic. How would it affect
YOU?