Green Technology

5 Reasons You Need to Embrace the Self-Driving Car

Google Car photo by smoothgroover22. License: CC BY-SA 2.0.

The future is here. Last week, Google debuted its self-driving car in front of a host of journalists. Citing the fact that 33 thousand folks are killed on U.S. roads each year, Google expressed its optimism for a future where the autonomous vehicle keeps us all safer on the road.

Skeptical about self-driving cars? Don’t be. First, consider the fact that Google’s self-driving cars have collectively logged over 700 thousand miles without being responsible for causing an accident. To be honest, they have been in a couple of accidents, but each one was determined to have been caused by human error, not machine error.

It remains to be seen exactly when the courts will give companies like Google the OK to move forward and release self-driving cars on public roadways, but we can imagine it’ll happen sooner or later.

Need some more convincing about the promise of the autonomous car? Consider the following five facts:

You’ll get from Point A to Point B quicker.

Because self-driving cars are connected to the Internet, you’ll never have to worry about finding the best route to your destination ever again. Self-driving cars will simply get you where you’re going more efficiently than you could. In the event of an accident or road closure, your self-driving car will automatically reroute you to the best available route and you’ll be on your way in no time.

You’ll spend less on gas.

Because self-driving cars operate efficiently, you’ll spend considerably less money filling up your tank, particularly over the long term. Saving a few gallons here and there adds up. Over the course of a year, you may be surprised at just how much extra cash is in your wallet thanks to your self-driving car. The environment will thank you, too.

Your car will need fewer repairs.

Because you won’t be there to drive it like a maniac, your self-driving car will be in much better shape. There won’t be any pedal-to-the-metal-related malfunctions, and you won’t have to slam on your brakes either. Thanks to the technology that powers autonomous cars, less stress will be placed on vehicles, meaning you won’t have to take your car into the shop as frequently. Your bank account will thank you.

You’ll be more productive while you travel.

Don’t you hate getting stuck in traffic, particularly on the way to and from work? There are few things worse than dealing with a miserable commute. Good news: The self-driving car promises to let owners reclaim all of the time wasted during their commute. This time can then be spent focusing on work, playing your guitar, reading a book or catching some shut eye.

You’ll be safer while you travel.

Self-driving cars are powered by cameras and radar. This technology is so good that many folks believe self-driving cars might displace human drivers altogether. Thanks to this innovation, car accidents will be reduced: Technology can respond much quicker than you can. And if programmed correctly, those responses will always be the right ones. Who knows? In a perfect world, we might even live to see the elimination of deaths on roadways due to autonomous cars.

How does that sound? Now, we just have to hope acquiring an autonomous car won’t cost us an arm and a leg.

Google Car photo by smoothgroover22. License: CC BY-SA 2.0.

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Adrienne Erin is a healthcare industry and healthy living writer from Carlisle, Pennsylvania. She loves gadgets, cooking, and speaking French. You can follow her on LinkedIn.

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