Imagine a world where you can safely use your phone while your car drives for you. Doesn’t that sound impossible? Well, car manufacturers are working on this idea, and self-driving cars have far more benefits than drawbacks. A self-driving car is a vehicle that fully operates without human intervention. Without a human controlling a wheel there will be two obvious advantages to self-driving cars, the elimination of traffic and the reduction of automobile fatalities of humans and wildlife by collisions.

Self-driving cars are still under development and safety is improving. Harvard University released an article called Self-driving Cars: The technology, risks and possibilities by Tim Menke and Neal Akatsuka. This article explains how these cars would work, the benefits of them, and how they compare to humans driving cars. “Unlike distracted or drunk drivers, self-driving cars always operate at their maximum ability.” These cars will be groundbreaking. Unlike the car which is operated by a human brain and hands that can make mistakes, it is operated by cameras, radar, and artificial intelligence. “They are likely to reduce accidents and lower the huge death toll on our roads.” On top of reducing accidents, these cars will find faster routes to our destination, drive more efficiently, and take less fuel. There is so much information and research done on self-driving cars, which means there is no excuse not to consider one, as they become more available.

Some of the self-driving technology is already in the cars that we drive. Here is an explanation from  Self-Driving Cars: Everything We Know About Autonomous Cars on Edmunds by Rex Tokeshi-Torres. The rating system starts at a level 0, where driving is all human responsibility, and the car does not drive itself at all. The only time the car will help the driver is with alerts or help during emergencies. Examples of these include blind spot warnings, lane departure warnings, and automatic emergency braking. Level 1 is the initiation of self-driving cars where the car can control the speed and position in the lane. Level 2 can do things for the driver simultaneously such as cruise control. Level 3 gives the driver the option to go hands or feet free while being ready to control it again. Level 4 is when the vehicle has more control than the driver. The highest level, level 5, is when the driver does not have to control the car at all at any time. This final level is where we would see the greatest impact on the reduction of traffic and fatalities. Even at level 2, these cars make a massive impact on the world and the assistance tools alone already make a tremendous impact.

Self-driving cars are relatively new and the idea of letting a machine drive a vehicle is a scary thought to many people, but there are many sources you can use to learn about how they work. An article from Kelley Blue Book called Self-Driving Cars: Everything You Need To Know by Sean Tucker answers any question the reader might have about self-driving cars. You should not feel uneasy about these cars when all your questions can be answered online. The author highlights autonomous systems that do the driving for you and proves it is the optimum solution. One of the most asked questions is “Can you trust self-driving cars?”  The answer is, “Not as of right now” which the article states, and it goes on to state, “Engineers from more than a dozen companies are testing self-driving systems in hopes of producing an SAE Level 5 self-driving car. It seems safe to predict that the technology is coming.” Many companies are working toward a Level 5 self-driving car, and are getting close, such as Ford, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Subaru, and Tesla. These companies will give us the amazing self-driving cars we want, and when released we should all purchase one knowing all these benefits.

Self-driving cars are the future, they are the solution to many problems on the road, and everyone needs one. These groundbreaking cars will give people with disabilities freedom. Self-driving cars will improve safety on the roads with their features and electronic sensors to make sure that the car is aware of all surroundings. They will make your route faster and help save you gas money. There are many companies that are working up to a level 5 self-driving car but for now, assisted driving features are already making an impact. Even with assisted driving, it has made a significant impact on our world, imagine the impact of self-driving cars. Once we get to the point of a level 5 self-driving car being released, we will have so many benefits and all of our on-road challenges will be resolved. These results will be time and lifesaving and will change our driving lives forever. All these reasons are why self-driving cars are so important and why everyone will drive one, to make our future more efficient and safer, this is why everyone should consider buying a self-driving car.

For more information:

Menke, Tim. “Self-Driving Cars: The Technology, Risks and Possibilities.” Science in the News, 28 Aug. 2017, sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2017/self-driving-cars-technology-risks-possibilities/.

‌ Tucker, Sean. “Self-Driving Cars: Everything You Need to Know.” Kelley Blue Book, 3 Aug. 2021, www.kbb.com/car-advice/self-driving-cars/.

Tokeshi-Torres, Rex. “Self-Driving Cars: Everything We Know about Autonomous Cars.” Edmunds, 10 Mar. 2023, www.edmunds.com/car-buying/self-driving-cars.html.