Herbie or K.I.T.T.? Driverless Car’s Future Is More Exciting Than Ever [Infographic]

Whenever you watched a sci-fi movie as a kid you were guaranteed to see a flying car… Always!

Whilst flying cars are still some way off being a reality it feels like we have made some massive leaps in the last few years around driverless or autonomous cars. It is estimated that by 2035 that 10% of the 2 billion cars that will be on the roads will be driverless. As with all predictions you have to take that with a pinch of salt. Recently, the RAC Shop undertook some research into how far away from becoming reality they were. In addition to this they looked at the story so far, their safety and predictions for the future. They also pulled in commentary and opinions from multiple experts including Tim Stevens from CNET and Roadshow, Richard Truett form Autonews and Dr Alexander Hars from the Driverless Future.

The opinions gathered were of great interest:

“Safety is of course the primary goal, and I firmly believe that autonomous cars will save lives. However, the secondary implications cannot be discounted. Imagine the elimination of traffic congestion thanks to the removal of arbitrary speed limits.” Tim Stevens

A prevailing pattern of thought emerged from talking to the experts in that whilst the concept of driverless cars was sound and the technology exists we have to look at the implications as well as just the benefits.

History tells us that just because we can do something and just because we have the technology to make it happen does not necessarily mean that we should make it a reality.

“My best hope for self-driving cars is that some elements of the technology can be employed to reduce driver stress and fatigue and reduce distraction.” Richard Truett

As we make these massive technological leaps towards autonomous vehicles and (hopefully) better road safety we need to consider how they will fit into the current climate. With Google hoping to have the first batch of driverless vehicles available in 2018 and Ford, Toyota and Nissan looking to release around 2020 we need to take a step back and fully assess the situation.

“…test rides in autonomous vehicles are known to turn sceptics into advocates – even if the car’s autonomous features are known not to be perfect yet.” Dr. Alexander Hars

Someone, somewhere once said “With great power comes great responsibility”. It couldn’t be truer with huge technological advancements. It also couldn’t be truer then when we are looking at driverless cars and how they fit into the bigger picture.

If you enjoyed this summary you can read the full article here.

Submitted by Erastus Irungu

Which fictional self driving car do you think beats them all? Are you excited about self driving cars or do you fear the idea? Tell us about it in your comments below. Share this infographic with your friends and don’t forget to subscribe to our website for more.

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Jeremy

Business Analyst and Local Business Marketer. Practical Brand Advisor. Co-founder & Admin at The Local Brand. Writes about marketing and investment. Motorcycle enthusiast and likes to travel.