I'm certain and puzzled at the same time. Driving yourself will soon, a decade or two, maybe less it'll be a fond or maybe not so fond memory of the past. Yesterday I purchased a new car. I was apprehensive at first but then astounded to use the systems within the car. You see the car drives itself, albeit in 20 second bursts. You must retake the wheel every twenty seconds or the car will stop steering, it will continue to accelerate or brake though. I'm in awe to say the least.
But the experience got me to thinking what's not to far into the horizon, self driving cars completely autonomously getting me from point A to point B. It'll change the entire experience of driving permanently most likely with in our lifetimes. One will not need to drive themselves at all and if they want to they probably soon won't. Accidents will become a thing of the past. They will ultimately be contributed solely to human error after thousands of self driving cars are put into use without incident. Driving yourself will seem as barbarically as mid evil surgery. If you decide you don't want the car to do the driving for you and wish to drive yourself you'll be taking on liability you won't want to be encumbered with. People who cause accidents that result in bodily harm or death will be criminally charged and imprisoned. After all they are going to need a new source of revenue after speeding tickets and DWI's are gone. The computers could have done a better job and you should have allowed them to drive for you.
Cars of the future probably won't even have steering wheels, just a couple of sets of comfortable seats maybe even the fronts facing to the rears with a table in the middle so you can accomplish something on the drive to wherever your going. For that matter maybe no one will even own a car, but simply summon one via their phone when they need to get from A to B. This would result in few cars on the road or in a parking lot, maybe eliminating the parking lot all together. After summoning a car to use the car could be tracked on your phone for arrival time. This would also free up a lot of real estate which is currently unusable as it just sits empty waiting for cars to be parked on it. What will it do to real estate that now is considered to far of a drive from populated areas? And when you get to your destination you'll be delivered right to the front door, then the car goes to park itself or off to pick up the next delivery/person. Maybe people won't have to go to the store anymore as the car can be sent, filled with whatever you need and then returned to your home? Will it be like an uncomfortable elevator ride with a stranger that was picked up along your route?
So if any car will do this for you what will be the factors which separate one car from another? Comfort? Ride quality? I can't think of much else. Will traffic jams become a thing of the past? With cars communicating with other cars traffic jams should become a non issue. Speeds will increase on roads where there are no pedestrians. The car will know way in advance if there are cross walks, probably before the car even leaves your driveway. It'll know where construction is, anything it may need to compensate for will be accounted for way in advance of needing to make those accommodations.
Will individuals even own their own cars anymore? Probably not. Ride share for everyone or self service delivery. ~100 years ago people were getting around on horse back. They most likely thought their horse was better. Just as people today think a car operated by themselves is a better way to travel. You can still get around today on horseback, but not on the highways!
Road rage and inconsiderate drivers will become a thing of the past. The computer won't try and cut other cars off, in fact traffic will "blend" much smoother with the computers in control. The running of stop signs and red lights won't even exist anymore. Cars will most likely communicate with each other. Cars that are programmed for a long trip will fall into a line like a train, pick up speed and deliver you to your destination much more quickly then you could get there driving yourself. Sitting at a red light with no cross traffic will be a thought from the past. Cars again communicating with each other, will know if they even need to slow or stop at a cross walk. Fifty years from now a chip that's probably also a phone will be in or on every individual so these transportation devices, formally known as cars, will know if a predestination is in the path of travel.
This new car I purchased is insane. The technology has me in deep thought. When I'm driving, the car is constantly assisting me. If the car assists me too much and I drive too long the car will alert me that I'm getting tired and direct me to rest stop through the navigation. It's constantly taking readings from my body/inputs and can sense when I'm not alert. Eventually one or two cars into the future, I won't be needed at all.
Maybe I should buy a Red Barchetta and garage it now...
But the experience got me to thinking what's not to far into the horizon, self driving cars completely autonomously getting me from point A to point B. It'll change the entire experience of driving permanently most likely with in our lifetimes. One will not need to drive themselves at all and if they want to they probably soon won't. Accidents will become a thing of the past. They will ultimately be contributed solely to human error after thousands of self driving cars are put into use without incident. Driving yourself will seem as barbarically as mid evil surgery. If you decide you don't want the car to do the driving for you and wish to drive yourself you'll be taking on liability you won't want to be encumbered with. People who cause accidents that result in bodily harm or death will be criminally charged and imprisoned. After all they are going to need a new source of revenue after speeding tickets and DWI's are gone. The computers could have done a better job and you should have allowed them to drive for you.
Cars of the future probably won't even have steering wheels, just a couple of sets of comfortable seats maybe even the fronts facing to the rears with a table in the middle so you can accomplish something on the drive to wherever your going. For that matter maybe no one will even own a car, but simply summon one via their phone when they need to get from A to B. This would result in few cars on the road or in a parking lot, maybe eliminating the parking lot all together. After summoning a car to use the car could be tracked on your phone for arrival time. This would also free up a lot of real estate which is currently unusable as it just sits empty waiting for cars to be parked on it. What will it do to real estate that now is considered to far of a drive from populated areas? And when you get to your destination you'll be delivered right to the front door, then the car goes to park itself or off to pick up the next delivery/person. Maybe people won't have to go to the store anymore as the car can be sent, filled with whatever you need and then returned to your home? Will it be like an uncomfortable elevator ride with a stranger that was picked up along your route?
So if any car will do this for you what will be the factors which separate one car from another? Comfort? Ride quality? I can't think of much else. Will traffic jams become a thing of the past? With cars communicating with other cars traffic jams should become a non issue. Speeds will increase on roads where there are no pedestrians. The car will know way in advance if there are cross walks, probably before the car even leaves your driveway. It'll know where construction is, anything it may need to compensate for will be accounted for way in advance of needing to make those accommodations.
Will individuals even own their own cars anymore? Probably not. Ride share for everyone or self service delivery. ~100 years ago people were getting around on horse back. They most likely thought their horse was better. Just as people today think a car operated by themselves is a better way to travel. You can still get around today on horseback, but not on the highways!
Road rage and inconsiderate drivers will become a thing of the past. The computer won't try and cut other cars off, in fact traffic will "blend" much smoother with the computers in control. The running of stop signs and red lights won't even exist anymore. Cars will most likely communicate with each other. Cars that are programmed for a long trip will fall into a line like a train, pick up speed and deliver you to your destination much more quickly then you could get there driving yourself. Sitting at a red light with no cross traffic will be a thought from the past. Cars again communicating with each other, will know if they even need to slow or stop at a cross walk. Fifty years from now a chip that's probably also a phone will be in or on every individual so these transportation devices, formally known as cars, will know if a predestination is in the path of travel.
This new car I purchased is insane. The technology has me in deep thought. When I'm driving, the car is constantly assisting me. If the car assists me too much and I drive too long the car will alert me that I'm getting tired and direct me to rest stop through the navigation. It's constantly taking readings from my body/inputs and can sense when I'm not alert. Eventually one or two cars into the future, I won't be needed at all.
Maybe I should buy a Red Barchetta and garage it now...
