The latest self-driving prototype car that Google unveiled eliminates human drivers from the picture. With Google’s self-driving car, starting the car is as easy as pushing a button. The next thing passengers will know is they’re off to their destination. Here’s a link from the Google Self-Driving Car Project Team, from their YouTube page. It documented volunteers as they tested the self-driving car prototype in Mountain View, California.
Related: YouTube Video of Google’s Self-Driving Car
Google’s self-driving car
Google plans to build over a hundred of these prototypes, with the goal of testing early versions later this summer, 2014. Their inspiration for changing the car project, according to Google co-founder, Sergey Brin, was the results of an experiment they conducted where Google employees went to work using autonomous vehicles. No crash was recorded, although Google engineers realized that letting humans take over in an emergency was important. Putting safety first, Google uses foam-like material for the car’s front-end. They hope to persuade regulators that cars can operate on their own safely, even without the basic equipment we usually see in today’s cars, like a steering wheel. The Google team behind this innovation knows that this is only the beginning, and we can expect to see more in the coming years.
Will self-driving cars prevent accidents?
Will this really help eliminate the number of car and pedestrian accidents? Is it something from space? I have a hard time believing that these cars will help stop accidents and make our roadways safer. However, maybe taking human error out of the equation is just what we need. If the self-driving cars can communicate with one another then they will know the location of other self-driving cars. Some accidents would be avoided that way. I still would like to have a steering wheel in the car, even if it’s only to be used in emergencies. That way, if something malfunctioned in the self-driving car, you could still steer the car onto the side of the road.
Related: Hands-Free Devices May Not Be As Safe As We Thought
As a Kentucky Accident Attorney, I am excited to see where this technology is heading. I’m still trying to figure out how I feel about a riding in a car without brakes and a steering wheel. What do you think? Would you ride in a self-driving car?