Autonomous (self-driving) cars are the way of the future. How far distant in the future is yet to be seen. There are still concerns about safety and liability. Once all the kinks are worked out, human drivers will largely be a thing of the past. Here are the largest benefits of autonomous cars.
- Increased Mobility: There is currently a lot of restrictions placed on who is allowed to drive, and rightfully so. You need to be old enough, but not too old. You need to not be free of any impairing substances. You need to not have any disabilities that would prevent the safe operation of a vehicle. Once autonomous cars are readily available, most of these restrictions disappear.
- Decreased Accidents: This is certainly the reason autonomous cars are not currently in the market. They can’t be just as safe as a human driver. They need to be much safer on the average. Their safety also needs to be proven. Proven by billions of miles of testing.
- Decreased Costs: As it turns out, automobile accidents are expensive. They are expensive for the individual and for society. It’s only a matter of time before autonomous cars prove themselves as better at driving than humans and save us all a bunch of cash.
- Decreased Fuel Consumption: Whether its gasoline or electricity, autonomous cars are predicted to reduce fuel consumption. This is no surprise when considering the awkward lead foot of so many human drivers.