The Autonomous Car (Constructing Arguments Digitally, Draft 2)

Some people may be confused as to what the autonomous car is, so to put it simply, it is a self-driving car.  To the average person who is not interested in cars or technology, this idea is foreign and maybe unheard of. For me, technology and cars are two passions of mine and therefore I am not only very interested in the topic but have also done a lot of research on it.

Technology is advancing every day. It has progressed more in the past 25 years than it ever has.  It has positively affected so many aspects of our every day lives and continues to make things possible that would have otherwise been impossible. The autonomous car is the next big step in this major progression in technology and consequently our everyday lives.

            Cars have been a part of people’s lives for more than a century.  Lots of people use their cars everyday to get them where they need to go. As a society we are extremely dependent upon transportation. Although car manufacturers continue to improve upon every aspect of the car, the reality is the technology and mechanics of the automobile were revolutionary for the early 20^th century, but in the 21^st century the core of the car truly has not changed at all. The car still has four wheels, which are supplied power by some sort of combustion engine, which, in turn, allows for the driver to sit in a cabin with a steering wheel and some pedals directing the car wherever he/she pleases. . For this reason, someone can be driving down the road and all around them are thousands of cars from the 90’s. Cars ranging back 100 years can be seen driving on today’s roads. This is evidence that although the luxuries of today’s new cars are nice, they are not game changers by any means.

            What is the only thing that car manufactures haven’t changed? That answer is easy, the person driving the car. By removing the human aspect of the automobile, cars become significantly safer and more versatile. The advantages to the autonomous car are so numerous they cannot all be explained in this essay. The autonomous car allows for increased productivity while driving (riding), it changes the lives of the elderly and the handicapped, and it completely changes the way that we see cars.  The most crucial impact that the autonomous car will have on society is the amount of lives that will be saved. “Within one month, on average, 108,000 people around the world are killed in traffic accidents. By the year of 2020 it is estimated that this number will have climbed to 150,000” (The Economist). “If 90 percent of vehicles were self-driving, as many as 21,700 lives per year would be saved.” (CBS, DC). Self- driving cars are truly much safer than human drivers.  “Robot drivers react faster than humans, have 360-degree perception and do not get distracted, sleepy, or intoxicated” (Markoff).

            How does the autonomous car work? The answer is very complex, and would take a long time to explain all of the true mechanics and electronics behind it. In short, the autonomous car uses a series of cameras, sensors, and computers to run algorithms and to determine how to drive. It is important to note that in today’s limited number of autonomous cars there is an override. The override will allow for the driver to take control of the car at any moment in case the computer malfunctions. In the future, the override will probably be removed as the computers get even safer and as more people trust the reliability and safety that the autonomous cars provide.

"Look, No Hands." The Economist. The Economist Newspaper, 1 Sept 2012. Web. 

"Study: Self- Driving Cars Would Eliminate Majority of Traffic Deaths, Congestion." CBS DC. N.p., 23 Oct. 2013.

Markoff, John. "Google Cars Drive Themselves in Traffic." The New York Times. N.p., 9 Oct. 2010