Driverless Cars

141222130809-google-driverless-car-prototype-horizontal-large-galleryGoogle has recently come out with its “driverless car.” This new driverless car offers many benefits since one of the leading death causes in americans is car accidents 94% of which are due to human error. The cars have sensors to detect signs, people, or anything else that might be in the way. Through all the tests, the cars have been deemed very safe and have passed many scenarios including the unexpected. The Google cars have been in a total of 16 accidents since 2009 and in every single scenario it was not the car and a human was at fault.

Four states currently allow the testing of this car on its public roads but is this car necessarily safe? While this project offers many benefits to those that do not necessarily have the ability to drive such as disabled or visually impaired, it may not be the safest option when it comes to transportation. There are many things that can go wrong when it comes to technology running our lives. One reporter from the BBC test drove one of the cars and was not happy with it. The car reacted oddly to joggers and other things that a human eye would be able to detect and move on without a problem.

This could be evolutionary if it actually takes off. People who wouldn’t be able to originally get where they wanted to would eventually be able to travel different places or visit different people. The science behind this is also amazing. We have come so far as a society and developed something to give many people their independence while eliminating the risk for accidents. Some may argue that this might be too much in the technology direction and we are giving up our freedom.

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About Madeline Policastro

Madeline Policastro is a Senior in the School of Communications at Penn State University majoring in Telecommunications with a minor in Business and the Liberal Arts. Throughout her college experience, she has successfully exhibited creative problem solving and the determination, leadership, and ability to excel in fast-paced environments. She aspires full-time employment in either the communications field or business field. Madeline also has the ability to listen and understand others demonstrating emotional intelligence. Madeline has participated in extracurricular activities and community service as an active member of Alpha Omicron Pi sorority. She previously held the position of assistant director of recruitment where her responsibilities included, however, were not limited to; guiding fellow members in the appropriate pragmatics required for acquiring personable and responsible young women and overseeing recruitment gatherings necessary for scouting potential new members. Additionally, she was a social media contributor in which she curated content and added to social media pages to promote sisterhood, while encouraging young women to join the organization. Outside of academics and extracurricular activities, Madeline enjoys traveling and spending time with her friends and family. Madeline spent her spring semester Junior year studying abroad in Rome, Italy and hopes to continue to travel and meet new people.

9 thoughts on “Driverless Cars

  1. Zachary Michael Barone

    There is no question that we have the knowledge and technology to develop driverless cars. But will it be worth it? So many changes would need to be made in our world that would change our way of living and affect many different industries, such as truck drivers and insurance companies. Also, would self-driving cars be affordable to the general public? I do not believe we will get to a point anytime soon where self-driving cars are the norm. but the idea is intriguing.

  2. Samantha Marie Grillo

    It is interesting to think about the possibility of driverless cars. It would be beneficial in preventing drinking and driving, texting and driving, or just regular car accidents. It also would help people who are disabled to get around. However, many people would rather drive themselves and not trust the technology; it’s really all down to personal preference.

    Here is the link to an article about the potential future of these driverless cars: http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/12/driverless-cars-are-this-centurys-space-race/417672/

  3. Tiffany Fu

    I think the idea behind this invention is great. It takes out the risk of human error and it would be a great alternative to a DD if you want to spend a night out with friends. It would minimize the risk of drinking and driving and texting and driving. Personally, I like being able to control the car that I’m in and I like driving myself everywhere. However, if this is the new (and safer) way of putting people on the road then I’m all for it. Less lives would be taken from car accidents and other little incidents (like fender-benders) which would save people a lot of money (say they don’t have car insurance). I think this is a great idea and I found another article that you might like to give a read when you have the chance.

    http://qz.com/549062/what-happens-when-a-self-driving-car-gets-pulled-over-by-a-cop-nothing/

  4. Mitchell Seth Korzen

    This is a very interesting concept which has been debated for years. As the science is finally becoming realistic the discussions are becoming much more relevant. In this article http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/02/technology/personaltech/google-says-its-not-the-driverless-cars-fault-its-other-drivers.html?_r=0 it shows the multiple reasons driverless cars can be a very bad idea. One of the main ones being safety. No matter how many people have driverless cars some people always won’t. And explained in this article the science is has not evolved enough to adjust as quickly as a person can to other drivers. Until this comes to fruition this idea will never take off.

  5. jqr5447

    Something that you could have tied in is the chance of dying in a car crash, like we use in class almost every day (0.012% chance I believe). Having self driven cars will also reduce the amount of intoxicated, exhausted, and texting drivers on the road. This should significantly reduce the chance of being in a car crash, let alone dying. Obviously there are other variables to take into account (malfunctions, etc.), but trying to relate it to this statistic would be very interesting.

  6. jps6019

    This is revolutionary in the technology but does not seem to be up to par with what we want. It made me curious and when I looked I found that there is an expectation that these cars won’t work perfectly since they are first generation. Which going back to your post makes sense as to why only 4 states have allowed the testing.

  7. Holly Rubin

    Although this invention is amazing and revolutionary, it is very questionable. As you stated in an example above, it didn’t react properly to things such as people that the human eye can normally do. In addition, it makes me question things such as will young adults, younger than the normal driving age, be able to access these cars by themselves since there is no skill necessary? Also, would the car interpret certain weather conditions that require a different type of driving. For example, when it is snowing, many cars proceed with caution. Does this car also do this enabling it to blend in with the cars around them and ensure that it would go too fast for the conditions. I know that driving fast in snow is extremely unsafe and leads to drifting and sliding off the road. In reality how fast of a reactor are these cars? I think overall the only way that these cars will have a chance to change the future is if everyone is driving one, ensuring that everyone is driving in the same conditions, but even then anything could happen.

  8. Nicholas Eric Pulos

    Though I do not like the idea of not being able to be in control of the car when I am driving it, I do think that this is a fantastic accomplishment for the modern day science world. It is quite remarkable how they are able to create this, and that it is safe enough that states are allowing it to be tested on their roads. This article here shows that Apple and Google are the companies behind this budding car scene and they too are competing with one another, http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/12/driverless-cars-are-this-centurys-space-race/417672/ . Though I never see myself buying one of these in the future, I do respect how technology has gotten to the point that this is even a remote possibility.

  9. John Conrad Brewster

    You’re right that this phenomenon could be evolutionary, especially in the United States! I’ve even read that driverless cars have the potential to even drop the drinking age back down to 21 in America. Since the leading reason behind the current drinking age is the enormous problem of drunk driving in the states, I definitely believe it! I would love an experiment to ensure that this phenomenon has the ability to eliminate drunk driving and therefore drop the drinking age back down to 18.

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