(Drivebycuriosity) - There are nearly 43,000 fatal car crashes a year in the U.S ( google). A horrible number. Many of these accidents are caused by driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, distracted driving, texting & speeding.
Self-driving cars would end this. Computers don´t drink, they don´t take drugs, they are not distracted and they don´t speed to impress or to pretend Formula One skills. In the year 1952 Isaac Asimov already imagined AI & self-driving cars: "It could choose an ideal course, avoid cars, stop at red lights, pick the optimum speed for the terrain. Everybody could sit in the back seat and automobile accidents would vanish" (short story "What If", reprinted in the anthology "Nightfall" amazon).
Computers are superior to human drivers. They have a much shorter response time. They need just a nanosecond to respond to a surprising event (like a child on the street), their circuits work much much faster than a human brain. And with the assistance of sensors the computer can respond to complex traffic situations (hydroplaning, ice, potholes, rain, fog) much better than a human driver.
Self-driving cars are also more efficient, because computers can calculate the optimum speed, track and driving rhythm. Therefore they use less energy to move from place A to place B. Self-driving cars will burn less gasoline which reduces the consumption of fossilized energy and create less exhaust, curbing the greenhouse effect. Fewer accidents will also translate into much lower insurance costs. Driving will get cheaper.
We need self-driving cars asap!
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