In defense of self-driving cars

Now, at 17, I am wielding a 4,000-pound vehicle down the road every morning to get to school, and every afternoon to get back. The development of self-driving cars seems as far away as ever, with new articles about the failures and complaints of the ones that are out on the street for testing. Cars produced by Waymo, formerly known as the Google Self-Driving Car Project, are clogging up the streets of San Francisco and Los Angeles, breaking traffic laws, and honking at one another in a parking lot all night in a way that seems almost dystopian. 

Autonomous vehicles are not a new concept, in fact, the idea has been around since the 16th century, when Leonardo da Vinci designed a small self-propelled cart. Beyond its innovative combination of springs and ropes, its steering system appears to have been preprogrammable. Today, we see Tesla’s electric cars traversing the road in autopilot mode. Despite the advancements, the concept seems far from fruition, as scientists and engineers grapple with the new technology, and seemingly fail at figuring out the larger problems. 

We live in a time of dizzyingly rapid technological change, and Americans are almost habituated to welcome and encourage extraordinary innovations. It’s been more than a decade since the first prototypes of AVs, yet, the technology remains flawed. Like back in October of last year when a pedestrian was run over by an autonomous taxi from Cruise, a self-driving car company, in San Francisco. Even if they become fully developed, problems concerning network malfunctions and data privacy will plague the technology. 

An interesting ethical dilemma also emerges. For example, who is at fault if an AV gets pulled over for running a traffic light with a passenger in the back seat? You can’t blame technology for doing what it’s programmed to do and you can’t blame the passenger who wasn’t controlling the car. Who can blame the company if they passed the necessary tests and were allowed to put their product onto the market and into the streets?

Humans are astonishingly capable of doing things that some machines just can’t replicate; but I can’t help but hold out hope for these vehicles. They are not the perfect solution but a future of AVs could greatly benefit the way humans use transportation. Of serious crashes, 94% are caused by human error, including distracted driving, impaired judgment, fatigue, etc. A reliance on AVs could greatly reduce the likelihood of accidents. According to Waymo’s data from 7.14 million miles of data from Phoenix, San Francisco and Los Angeles, self-driving cars are 85% less likely to be involved in crashes involving injury. 

AVs can also greatly help those who need help getting around. In Foster City, for example, the lack of public transportation is detrimental to the elderly community, who are forced to walk long distances to get food or go to the doctor. The commonality of AVs could greatly help those with disabilities and impairments. Not only can it benefit people with difficulties driving, but it can also help free up time for everyone. An AV can pick up kids from school, instead of parents spending 30 minutes to an hour doing so. This technology can free up time for everyone; AVs have the possibility of transforming the scope of transportation. 

Every new technology comes with an array of legal and moral discussions necessary for its continued use; all technology comes with its own learning curve. Take the fossil fuel car for example, people were afraid of its capabilities, fearing the noise and speed, unsure about how it would affect the carriage manufacturing and horse breeding industries. A century later, cars are now fully embedded into our lives. Human society has been here before, we should not stop advancing even if there are challenges and, instead, learn to be smart about the difficulties. I am positive that if technology continues to advance, humanity will learn how to adapt to it. 

The technology is far from perfect. However, if we want a better, faster, safer future, we need to believe in it. If tighter regulations are created and legal discussions happen, AVs have the potential to change the way we experience life and we should believe in its potential. The industry is only at its starting point, I am excited to see where it goes.

Ellen Li is a senior at Aragon High School in San Mateo. Student News appears in the weekend edition. You can email Student News at news@smdailyjournal.com.