Driverless Cars Are on the Horizon

The shift to driverless cars is on!  Scholars and researchers are estimating autonomous cars will make up 75 percent of vehicles on the road by 2040.  This will have a dramatic impact on many areas of our economy. 

  

Autonomous cars will affect infrastructure as the cars would have to communicate with the highway or street as well as with other cars to determine traffic and weather conditions.  Vehicles would be able to travel faster as alerts could be exchanged to regarding accidents or available parking places.  It would be possible to avoid accidents with information about where other vehicles are.

  

Another major change would affect transportation and mobility for many people who are currently unable to drive.  This would have a huge impact on the young, the elderly, and the disabled.  In fact, the appeal of using the commuting time to surf the internet or talk on the phone is a major attraction to millennials.

  

Many of the features which will be found in driverless cars will be available in the near future.  Driver assist systems including active cruise control, lane-keep assist are becoming more common in vehicles.   Volvo is introducing two new systems which will be offered in its’ 2016 XC90:  run-off road protection and auto brake at intersections.  

The run-off road feature detects when a car leaves the road and tightens the front safety belts to keep occupants cinched in their seats.  It also added energy absorbing cushioning between the seat and frame to help alleviate the occurrence of spinal injuries.  To keep drivers on the pavement, Volvo will add a Lane Keeping Aid, which applies extra steering torque when a vehicle unintentionally travels outside the lane.  Statistics from Volvo indicate that half of all traffic fatalities are due to road departure accidents, when a vehicle veers off the road.   Volvo has long been known for safety, so it is not surprising that they are at the forefront of new safety technology.

  

When it comes to research on driverless cars Google is way ahead of the competition.  Initially, the driverless car research was done on the Toyota Prius, and Google has a fleet of them around its California campus, and has tested them over approximately 300,000 miles.  It has since built its’ own version of the vehicle without a steering wheel.  Although the technology is advancing, many drivers are hesitant to relinquish control.   People may become accustomed to these new cars a little at a time. 

If you are injured in an auto accident by no fault of your own, you need to speak with an experienced personal injury attorney. Call The Law Offices of Robert Paysinger, P.C. at (303) 279-0221 today for a free initial consultation. We help injured people - it's all we do! 

Sources: New driver assist systems add extra layer of protection for occupants of upcoming all-new crossover. 5 Reasons Why Automakers Should Fear Google's Driverless Car