DRIVERLESS VEHICLES – Although reality, still a thing of the future

I always loved watching The Jetsons when I was a kid and although it seemed so cool that cars could drive themselves (and in space to boot), I hardly believed we would ever see the day that this would actually happen.

Well, technology develops quicker than the aging process, it seems, and has caught up with my disbelief’s. Smart cars are now a reality. However, reality does not equate to perfection in the case of these driver-less passenger transporters. That is to say, perfection on the part of the rest of us regular drivers. Driver-less cars have been programmed to follow the letter of driving laws to an exact perfection, which seems, in the early stages, to be a flaw. Perfection a flaw? According to a recent article published in Bloomberg Business , the crash reports are piling up against these driver-less cars because they are simply following the law so precisely that they fail to recognize the cars actually driven by humans, who either drive too slow, too fast, change lanes without signaling, run red lights, etc.

So where does the problem exist? A law abiding driver-less vehicle or the inattentive, slower to react, not always but sometimes law-breaking human controlled vehicle? Perhaps the developers could think of ways to have the occupants of the driverless car switch-off the auto-pilot to avoid some of these collisions? Or are these driverless vehicles just another tool of distraction where no one is paying attention.

I am sure there are drivers out there that follow the law precisely when it comes to driving. I would even surmise that these type of drivers get honked at often by more aggressive drivers.

Who should conform, the drivers or the developers of the driverless cars? It makes sense that if I am driving defensively and safely according to all the laws, I should not have to speed up because everyone else is driving 15-20 miles per hour over the speed limit. However, there are those who would say you need to “keep up with traffic so you don’t get plowed over”. Well, it is always best to follow the laws that are designed and enacted for our safety, take it from an attorney specializing in auto accidents.

So for now, these driverless cars will remain a thing of the future. More people will have to get used to a vehicle actually obeying the laws. Makes me wonder how safe driving would be if all vehicles were computer driven. Come to think of it, I don’t recall George Jetson ever getting into any Auto Accidents on the way to Spacely Sprockets.

By Debra S. Reynolds, RN, JD

Member of The Reynolds and Reynolds Law Firm representing victims of Auto Accidents and Auto Accident Litigation.