The future arrives whether people want it to or not. You can sit there, with your horse, thinking to yourself, “Ain’t no one going to want to use of them thar fancy auto-mo-beels, ain’t that right, bessy?” But that’s ultimately just living in denial of reality. In the same way, companies like Uber are probably already drafting eBooks to mail out to their employees with fun titles like “So You’re Going To Be Fired,” and “Obsolescence Is The New Black,” but we’re still quite a few years out from the day when all these people will be sitting out on the street with signs that say “Will drive for food.”
That’s not to say the future isn’t happening. The self-driving car is coming, and it will change the way people live and crush some ways of life and career options. That’s what always happens when new technology comes along.
But it’s not going to happen anytime soon, and there are a few reasons why you shouldn’t wait around for it, and start thinking about signing up for an online traffic course or some driver’s ed if you’re serious about getting your mobility. Here are a few of the biggest reasons why time is not on your side if you want the future now.
The Legal Systems Is Slacking
You know how there are laws for when someone goes into a bank with a gun and threatens to shoot everyone unless money is handed over, and both the police and the court know how to handle this situation because there are laws in place.
When a self-driving car with passengers gets into an accident, the current legal system is left scratching its head and typing “Lol, what?” into its social media account.
That’s one of those important little things that need to get worked out in a big way. Right now, the legal system in most states doesn’t cover self-driving cars at all, while a few, such as California and Florida, only have a few provisional laws in place to allow testing.
It’s going to take years before we get to the point where statutes and regulations are put in place so that when things go wrong, and there’s no one at the wheel, the legal system will know what to do.
Things Go Wrong
Some self-driving cars, like what Google is working on, have no steering wheel, no brake pedal, and no acceleration pedal. Other self-driving cars, like the ones Tesla makes, have full controls. This is important because sometimes things are going to go wrong, and if they do, if you don’t know how to drive, you will be stuck until someone else that can drive shows up to help you.
With something as important as a car and the passengers in it, it’s always better to be prepared. If you’ve ever felt helpless because something went wrong with the plumbing and you found out afterward that what the plumber did to solve the problem was a relatively simple fix, it’ll be much worse with a car. Being stuck in a car that’s perfectly capable of getting back on the road as long as a human driver is behind the wheel again is not the kind of crisis you want to have.
The Tech’s Not There Yet
Right now, self-driving cars are being used in what is close to laboratory conditions. They are driving out on clear roads, with plenty of room, and this is mostly happening in places like California, which have mild, pleasant weather most of the year.
If you live in Colorado or Indiana, you’re pretty much snorting up your coffee at this point. A lot of people can drive in perfect conditions, so perhaps it’s not all that surprising that a robotic car can do so as well. But when a torrential rain hits or winter finally sets in and there’s black ice on the roads, this is when the real test begins, and honestly, self-driving cars have yet to prove themselves in those conditions.
Accuracy of Sensors
Self-driving cars use sensors to move around and help them detect objects, vehicles, or road signs. The cameras around the car help in detecting objects nearby. To measure the distance of the objects from the car, the lidar uses lasers. While the radar detects the direction and speed of the object.
The data from the sensors will be transmitted to the car’s control system to help in steering in the right direction or knowing when to brake. However, the accuracy of sensors can be negatively affected by certain factors such as weather conditions or heavy traffic. Some traffic signs might not be detected as well if there is graffitis on them.
A fully autonomous car would need accurate sensors that can work in any weather condition or environment.
Social Acceptance
During the peak of self-driving cars, there have been numerous reports about accidents involving Tesla’s self-driving cars. The public should accept the fact that they will be sharing the road with self-driving cars and be aware of the risks of having them around.
When a company finally introduces a fully autonomous car, they should provide evidence that the car is safe to be on the road and get the public and regulators to accept it.
To date, there are no standards and regulations for self-driving cars. This means they won’t be able to be on the open road for quite some time.
But for now, since companies are continuously working on improving safety for autonomous cars, they will remain on the test track for a couple of years.
You May Still Need A License
The ultimate goal of a self-driving car is to allow people with mobility or sight issues that might prevent them from having a license to possibly regain the privilege of having a car. That’s a great idea, especially when you think of senior citizens that have already spent decades driving cars, suddenly deprived of this freedom. A self-driving car helping people in this situation is a great thing.
However, it’s quite possible that for the first generation of self-driving cars, the primary owner and user of the car may still need to have a driver’s license. So even if you know that in 2020, or 2025 when the first self-driving cars finally roll onto the streets, you’re going to be one of the early owners, you’ll probably still need a license to own it. If you want to get the full benefits of owning a self-driving car, make sure you’re actually in a position to legally own one. The concept of the driving license isn’t likely to vanish overnight and may become even more important in establishing legal ownership and usage of these cars in the future.
You’re Still In Control
The biggest thing to take away is that if you’re in a car, and you want control of it, you need a license. Online driver’s ed courses and online traffic schools can give you the theory that you need to ensure you follow the traffic laws. After that, however, you’re still going to need to get real, practical driving experience.
There may come a point in your lifetime when, if you want to, you can cede all responsibility for driving to the software and technology that’s built into your car. But that day hasn’t arrived yet, and for your freedom, mobility, and professional opportunities, you should still think about getting a proper driving education, so you can learn to drive yourself.