Despite the technological advancements in the field of autonomous vehicles, they are still not yet ready to be fully integrated into our transportation systems. This could bring mixed emotions to everyone.

 

The question of whether or not autonomous vehicles should be considered a hazard or help is still a big one. To help you make an informed decision, we’ve listed this technology’s various pros and cons.

 

Positives

 

Economic Effects

The economic benefits of fully autonomous vehicles are expected to greatly increase once they are integrated into transportation systems. Even a 5% decrease in crashes could save millions of dollars annually.

 

Saving Lives

The design of vehicles has greatly improved over the years, which has led to safer and less frequent car crashes. The fatality rate has decreased from 30 people per 100,000 to 8 people per 100,000 vehicles.

 

Despite the various technological advancements in car design, experts believe that human error is one of the biggest factors contributing to the increasing number of car fatalities. Removing human error from the equation could lead to a significant decrease in the number of road fatalities.

 

Accessibility

Many individuals have restricted mobility due to their age or disability. With the availability of fully autonomous vehicles, everyone will have the opportunity to have access to the technology without having to take a driver’s license test.

 

Improved Commutes

With the ability to communicate with other cars and avoid rear-end collisions, eliminating bumper-to-bumper traffic jams is expected to be a reality soon. In addition, automatic braking functions could help prevent rear-end crashes. Speed limits could also be raised.

 

Environmental Effects

Many companies developing driverless cars are currently focused on using electric power instead of traditional combustion engines. This technology is expected to make autonomous cars more eco-friendly than their gas-powered counterparts. One of the main advantages of this technology is that it eliminates the need for manual steering and braking, which helps save on power.

 

Negatives

 

Traffic

The number of cars on the road could increase if the number of autonomous vehicles becomes popular. Since many people would be able to use their own cars, this could cause a spike in the number of vehicles on the road.

 

Glitches

Although autonomous vehicles are expected to be safer than human-driven cars, they are still susceptible to various types of glitches and hacks. One of these is the vulnerability that could allow a hacker to take over the car. Also, the sensors and signals used in this technology could be vulnerable to being exploited remotely.

 

Job Loss

Many individuals rely on cars for their livelihood. These include truck drivers, taxi drivers, and delivery drivers. If autonomous vehicles were to be introduced, these individuals would most likely lose their jobs.

 

Cost

The cost of developing and manufacturing an autonomous vehicle is expected to be astronomical at first. It will take a long time before the technology is widely available.