Technology has brought about tonnes of inventions and innovations which have arguably made human life easier. The idea of self-driving cars may seem far fetched, but researchers and scientists have already come up with cars which do not require a human being to be present to drive the car. The use of the latest technological advancements has made this possible. But would having cars that drive themselves be a good or bad idea?

 

Advantages

 

1. No Human Error

Self-driving cars are a good idea since they would eliminate human error such that there would be no accidents as a result of drunkness, momentary inattention, sleepiness, or texting while driving. This would result in a drastic reduction in road accidents. Self-driving cars are also not affected by emotions such as anger, stress, tiredness, or distraction. This would also greatly contribute to reduced road accidents.

 

2. Increased Life and Fuel Efficiency

Self-driving cars’ efficiency is much better than that of human beings. Human beings tend to engage in activities such as improper deceleration, acceleration, gear shifts, braking, etc. All these reduce the life span of the car. On the other hand, self-driving cars are controlled using modern technology, which ensures that the vehicle is driven in the right manner.

 

3. Aids Disabled People and Elderly People

The sick, elderly, and disabled people often find themselves in situations where they would have wanted to go somewhere but lack the ability or someone to drive them. With self-drive cars, this is no longer a problem. Self-driving cars would facilitate easy movement of the sick, the disabled, and the elderly people without making them feel like a burden to anyone.

 

Disadvantages

 

1. Unemployment

There are millions of people who work in road transport across the globe. The use of cars which drive themselves would lead to an unemployment crisis. This would not only affect drivers but other workers such as traffic police. With the huge population of unemployed people in many countries, the idea of self-driving vehicles would only make it worse.

 

2. Technological Faults

Even with the most advanced technology, there’s a chance that there could be a technological fault. Cars which drive themselves are based on programming and machine learning. The coding is done by human beings meaning that there’s a chance that the codes may have some glitches or bugs. Therefore, there’s a chance that technology could go wrong.

 

3. Privacy

Privacy leaks have led to an increase in crime. People may track you through GPS and follow you, thus putting your safety at risk. Even in a case where the software company would provide high-security features, the software would still be susceptible to getting hacked.

There are several advantages and disadvantages to consider before one decides whether cars that drive themselves are a good or bad idea. Given the significant advantages and equally significant disadvantages of cars that drive themselves, it is hard to state whether this is a good or bad idea conclusively. In the end, the decision depends on what one is looking to achieve.