I read an interesting article today. The writer proposed the rise of the Google car will put an end to human driving. Is he right? Will Google cars end driving?
Whether you like it or not, the self-driving car is here. Buzz Feed Bureau Chief Matt Honan test rode in a Google prototype car. He compares these cars to clown cars built for the ground up. While Honan didn’t seem very impressed with the car’s look, he was impressed that Google really did build it from the ground up. It has to be this way in order to create a self-driving car. All one has to do to start the car is push a button and watch it go. There is no steering wheel, gas pedal, brake pedal, or a dashboard. According to Honan, it rides comfortably, but still feels like riding in a gondola, kinda like the ones you ride in Venice, Italy or Las Vegas’ Venetian Hotel. A New York Times reporter compared his Google car experience to a haunted house ride. Yet Honan was very impressed with how the car handled itself in traffic, dodging pedestrians and other cars. He claims the Google car can drive better than any human being can.
That remains to be seen. But I admit, we as humans shouldn’t be bragging about our driving. In the US, a car accident happens every five seconds. Around the world, car accidents kill, injure, or disabled nearly 50 million every year. The automobile accident is the number one killer of young people between ages 15-29. They cost Americans over $230 billion a year in insurance claims, medical bills, lost wages and production, and other hindrances. Isn’t the world ready for a self-driving car? From what I‘ve read, few if any accidents have been recorded. Some may say self-operating cars are unsafe. But are human operating cars much better?