Ever watch a sci-fi movie where a car drove itself or was operated by something other than the driver? It’s amazing how art is imitating life.
For quite some time, Google has been testing their robot car through Silicon Valley. In the 700,000 miles that tested so far, the car generally followed the rules of the road, from yielding to pedestrians to stopping at red lights. While they’re two ‘test drivers’ in the car just to observe, it never had any major accidents. It did have a few fender benders. It’s advised not to have a GPS with this Google car. It’s system, which contains an on and off button, should be enough. All that’s left to do now is…well…everything, from making deals from manufacturers to dealing with privacy and security issues. If all goes well, Google Robot Car might be out by 2020.
I’m liking the reports I’m reading about this car. I’m liking it because this car has so little accidents and little incidents, or so we’re being told. Statistics say the #1 cause of deaths for children and young adults is a car accident. Google insists this robot car can improve that. I want to believe it, but the cynic in me is still asking the hard questions. What is the system shuts down in the middle of a ride? What if mechanical failure happens while a family is on the interstate at 70MPH? Worse yet, what if a hacker decides to tamper with your car? Would you buy a Google robot car?