Self-driving vehicles coming soon (too soon)

Photo by Wikimedia Commons

Google has been developing its autonomous car technology for several years and has now partnered with Chrysler to create a self-driving minivan.

Mark Abdelmalak, Guest Writer

A new partnership between automaker Chrysler and Google’s self-driving company, Waymo, is just another reminder that self-driving cars will be hitting the streets very soon, but is that a good thing?

There should not be a rush to get these cars on the streets. Obviously, safety must be the number one priority, and rushing this process could threaten the safety of these cars. Uber has already made this mistake.

Cara McGoogan of the Telegraph said, “Less than a week after Uber started offering riders self-driving cars in California, Uber has admitted there is a problem with the way its autonomous cars approach bike lanes, which threatens the safety of cyclists near the cars.”

Additionally, it’s kind of sad to think about life without driving. I’m sure the motor enthusiasts are disgusted by the idea of self-driving cars. There certainly is a beauty and art in driving, and it’s just not the same if a Ferrari drives itself.

To some people, driving isn’t a chore, but rather a hobby, and to take that away would be a shame. Travis Okulski of Business Insider said, “Driving is not only a good skill to have, but a lot of great stories come from events that occurred while you were driving.”

Regardless of your feelings about self-driving cars, they’re coming anyway. This partnership is sending 100 Chrysler Pacifica minivans to Google, adding to Google’s already large fleet of self-driving cars. Tim Higgins of the Wall Street Journal said, “Google’s self-driving car program Wednesday marked more than 2 million miles driven on public roads (with) nearly 60 self-driving vehicles on roads in four states as of August.”

At this rate, the expected release of autonomous vehicles will come much earlier than expected. Jay Somaney of Forbes said, “It appears that Google/Alphabet/Waymo will have autonomous/self-driving vehicles on the road next year, a lot faster than anticipated.”

There certainly is some good that comes out of self-driving cars. Imagine just sitting back and relaxing on your way to work, or playing games with your family on road trips, without having to worry about annoying drivers or bad weather. Only time will tell how self-driving cars become a part of our daily lives.