Position Paper 4: The Benefits and Drawbacks of Autonomous Vehicles
The Benefits and Drawbacks of Autonomous Vehicles
Autonomous vehicles are changing the way people travel. A person could drive across the country without even having to use the brakes or put their hand on the wheel. Technology like this has potential to radically change our transportation system. The idea that you don't have to do anything to drive a car is a great idea, but it also has the ability to change things for the worst. Here are some of the potential benefits and drawbacks of autonomous vehicles.
Starting with the benefits, one of the major benefits of autonomous vehicles is that they are less likely to cause accidents than human drivers. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 94% of car crashes in the United States are caused by human error. NHTSA’s recent report on Tesla’s semi-autonomous Autopilot function revealed 40% fewer crashes when it was activated. This has the potential to not only save lives, but also save money. Fewer crashes reduce costs in medical bills and vehicle repair. Another benefit of autonomous vehicles is the ability to give greater independence to the elderly and people with disabilities. People who are blind will be able to live more self-sufficiently by being able to drive a car autonomously. Seniors who are too old to drive a car manually will be able to drive one autonomously as well. The third and last benefit I want to point out is an increase in productivity. The act of driving somewhere can potentially take hours and therefore waste time that a person could use productively. By driving an autonomous vehicle, a person could use that time to do work or relax.
Now getting into the drawbacks, the first and most obvious drawback to autonomous vehicles is that they are really expensive. Since driverless cars are a relatively new invention, the technology that goes into it is considered space age. This makes the vehicles very expensive and therefore hard to obtain. Another drawback of autonomous vehicles is the potential for technology to go wrong. Though considered more safe than driving a car manually, the potential for a glitch to occur can cause an accident to happen. The third and last drawback I want to mention is the potential for fewer job opportunities. Since vehicles can drive autonomously, this creates a position where taxi drivers, truck drivers, and pilots will no longer be needed. This may significantly impact the employment rate and economic growth of a certain country.
I think autonomous vehicles are a really neat idea that could really change the way we travel for the better. I could really see this benefiting the elderly and people with disabilities. The thing we have to keep in mind is how we can incorporate this technology while thinking about the impact of the economy as well.
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