Everybody remembers their first car that was given to them by either their parents or were fortunate enough to buy with their own money. In earlier years, the car you probably wanted something more like a Range Rover or Camaro. Today, you’d probably hear kids all across the world say they’d want something more in the Tesla range or even something like a BMW i8. The advancements that cars have made in even the last five years have been mind-blowing even to the point where self-driving cars became more than just a dream, it became a reality. The advancements that cars could make in the future shouldn’t be underestimated. There are reports of a fuel cell hydrogen vehicle being on the way as well. It’s interesting to see where the technology can take off and go in the next five years.
When looking at the pros and cons of self-driving cars, it’s interesting to see what lens you have to look at it in when contrasting the two. For the pros, one of the main things that is argued for is its reliability. NHTSA estimated that 94% of serious crashes are due to human error or poor choices, such as drunk or distracted driving. I believe that these self-driving cars can remove most risk factors that come from crashes or other accidents. Traffic would also be a lot easier to maneuver through. In theory, if the roads were mostly occupied by autonomous cars, traffic would flow smoothly, and there would be less traffic congestion. In fully automated cars, the occupants could do productive activities while commuting to work. People who can’t drive due to physical limitations could find new independence through autonomous vehicles and would have the opportunity to work in fields that require driving. Life in general, would be a lot more smooth because of the mental aspect of driving that has been eliminated.
There are also cons to the self-driving world of cars. One of the biggest issues involves self-driving cars being used as your backup driver instead of the main driver. The downsides of self-driving technology could be that riding in a vehicle without a driver behind the steering wheel may be unnerving — at least at first. But as self-driving capabilities become commonplace, human drivers may become overly reliant on the autopilot technology and leave their safety in the hands of automation, even when they should act as backup drivers in case of software failures or mechanical issues.
I was recently in a situation with my friends where one thought they were a better driver than a self driving car while drunk and the other thought vice versa. This now leads me to the question that made me even think about writing this blog post in the first place. Do we believe that drunk drivers are better or worse drivers than self driving cars?
Personally, I believe that the right drunk driver would be able to do better than a self-driving car. I feel like the main doubt comes from the fact that the computer may malfunction and cause a wreck. I’d rather put my trust in someone who has a certification to drive and had years of experience
I would disagree with you and argue that a self-driving car would be a better driver than a drunk driver. Although, I wouldn’t fully trust my argument until they have been thoroughly tested and their research publicly shared. When having to make a split second decision that could save my life, I would rather trust the judgement of a self-driving car that was trained on data than my personal judgement. I believe there may still need to be more development of these vehicles before we fully trust them. However, they have the potential to be way better drivers than humans.
While I couldn’t find any research to argue against your opinion of drunk drivers vs autonomous vehicles I believe it’s the opposite. Many wrecks we’ve seen have always been human error, whether texting and driving, drunk driving, or excessive speeding, these are all things I believe autonomous vehicles will be better at. On the contrary, I think hazardous road conditions would be safer kept with the capabilities of an average/above-average driver. I say this because I do not believe AI is at the level to understand the risks of hazards like snow, and situations of high-intensity rain resulting in Hydroplaning.
Just like Mary stated above, I would also disagree with the idea that drunk drivers could drive better than a computer. A friend of mine owns a Tesla with upgraded self-driving, and while it definitely needs some work, it does a great job at driving. Some roads, it has some issues and you will want to be watching the road at all times. However, it does a fine job for the other 99% of the trip. I really wonder how different the rate of crashes would be if all cars were self-driving in the future. I guess we’ll just have to wait and find out!
I admire you for taking a controversial position. Completely acceptable in this class. I’m not aware of any data that supports or refutes your position. Woudl depend on the quality of the autonomous vehicle software and the level of intoxication (and experience) of the driver.
I believe that self driving cars wound bring a lot of benefits an opportunities to the world. As you mentioned, people would have time to focus on other tasks while commuting to work every day which has been a pain point in many people’s lives for decades. I think it would take a lot of testing and experience to get the public to trust self driving cars, but in time I could see it becoming normalized. In regards to the drunk driving debate, according to an article I found on The Zebra, about 30 people in the United States die every day from car wrecks involving an intoxicated driver. I think if self driving cars were able to lower that number even a little, it would be worth it. I don’t disagree that there are many potential issues with self driving cars and the ability for their software to recognize unexpected hazards, but if they were tested and advanced enough to transport people in a safer and more efficient way than humans can, I think it would absolutely be worth it.
I’m curious on your idea of the “right” drunk driver. Is this in reference to 3 beers in comparison to 10? Is it about the driver themselves and who they are: like an F1 driver, NASCAR driver, or even the family man himself Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel)? I definitely agree with the idea that traffic would be removed will all autonomous vehicles. I think I’d have to side with the idea of self-driving cars being better. Your main doubt is the computer malfunctioning and wrecking the vehicle. However compare the wreckage of a self-driving accident to a drunk driving accident. A computer malfunction may just end up in the car stopping in the middle of the road and a car hitting it from behind. We all know drunk driving accidents aren’t the prettiest. Licenses to drive do not mean they’re good drivers either but I suppose you’re referring to the “right” driver when you said this.
Hello Val! Very interesting stand you are taking, but I am going to have to disagree with you. We have heard about a lot more tragedies from drunk driving vs self driving cars. I also feel like in the future, self driving cars can serve as a solution for drunk drivers. I definitely agree that self driving cars can malfunction, but I feel like that is something that can be fixed. My roommate actually had a Tesla at one point and we would use the self driving option and it drove very well! There are definitely some improvements that can be made and once the improvements are made, full self driving cars might be able to serve as a solution for drunk drivers!