Imagining the Future of Driving

Autonomous cars may not have infiltrated the market just yet, and manual vehicles are surely going to continue their domination of our roads for some time. However, technology moves at an alarming rate. Because of this, it might be time to start thinking about how to world of driving will change when the robots take the wheel and let us sit back and relax – or, more than likely, cling on for dear life.

While autonomous cars will (or, are expected) to make our lives easier in many ways, there is a chance that they could also complicate things. This is especially true for those who are used to jumping in their Corsa and chuntering out their driveway, towards the motorway where they sit and wait in traffic along the way to work.

Old habits die hard, and this autonomous revolution could see some resistance. You want to consider whether manually operated vehicles will be discontinued, or if there will be a mix of both driven and self-driven cars on the road.

And then there is the aspect of culpability. Will there be any need for a DUI lawyer if you are just sat in the car after a night out? Would it be considered that you are too intoxicated to operate the vehicle and that’s why you’ve taken it upon yourself to do a little tour of a neighbourhood that most certainly isn’t yours?

These are the sorts of questions that probably need to be asked before self-driving cars hit the market. While they are no doubt going to be excellent for the environment and perhaps easing congestion on highways and in the city, there is sure to be some teething problems with the legality of road use.

Furthermore, what about driving licenses? Passing your driving test is a rite of passage for many young people. It is something to consider whether or not people who will grow up in an age of primarily electric and autonomous vehicles will be required to legally drive and operate these vehicles. But if all they know is being taxied around by a machine, these young people may lack the confidence or be too distracted to operate the vehicle safely.

Should the car break down, or the algorithm fails, will it then be on the passenger to become the driver? If not, then how exactly will they get home? How will they move the car from the road to a safe location without holding up oncoming traffic?

It might be that everybody needs to take a test to understand the basics of operating a car safely. It could be that not much will change except that we will instead wait for IT support instead of mechanics to get the car started again. Only time will tell.

Of course, we don’t know exactly how everything will be organised and decided when autonomous cars do finally hit the market. At the moment, we can do nothing but speculate. However, we will need to be prepared for the eventuality of the roads being dominated by self-driving cars. Hopefully, there will be less cutting off, fewer accidents, less congestion, and less exhaust emission. This points towards a healthier planet, and that can only be a something to look forward to.