Are Consumers in California Ready for Self-Driving Cars?

Ready for Self-Driving Cars

Are Californians ready for the major changes on the horizon with the rise of truly autonomous vehicles? While there might be some delays, these vehicles are closer than you might realize.  

It may sound futuristic, but self-driving cars are closer than you might realize. Several car manufacturers are already adding semi-autonomous features to their new vehicles, with some frontrunners being Audi with their Traffic Jam Pilot and BMW’s Traffic Jam Assistant. Both of these manufacturers are focused on helping people reduce the fatigue associated with long forays into heavy stop-and-go traffic, but other options such as the Cadillac’s Super Cruise are much closer to being the self-driving vehicle that you would expect. While it’s no longer a question of “if” vehicle manufacturers can produce this type of logic into their vehicles. Instead, the question is whether California drivers are ready for everything that comes along with self-driving cars.

Are We Ready for Full Automation?

When you think about, there are many items on a vehicle that will be unnecessary for the self-driving cars of the future: the foot pedals and steering wheels being the start. Unfortunately, California and other states have legislated that these are necessary parts of the vehicle, making it impossible for automobile manufacturers to change as we move into the future. What’s important to note is that for the millions of road miles that the autonomous cars have already completed on roads throughout the country, nearly every accident that occurred was because the human driver decided to intervene.

Standardized Vehicle Communications

One of the key new functionalities that car manufacturers will be adding to their platforms is the ability to embrace a unified and standardized vehicle communications system. This type of platform would allow first responders to automatically signal vehicles in their way to clear the road, and the vehicles would be able to respond quickly and safely while maintaining communication with other vehicles on the road. This will help keep everyone safer, specifically police officers and others who provide safety support on the road.

The End of Distracted Driving

One of the biggest challenges drivers face today are the variety of distractions that are facing them from every direction. Crying children, active pets in the car, ringing telephones or the need to change radio stations are all reasons for people to take their eyes off of the road. With autonomous driving, there are no distractions and the computers that are making the decisions about how to react to external stimuli can make millions of calculations per second — far faster than the human brain can react.

Technology is dramatically changing how humans relate to their physical world, from self-driving cars to the human-brain interface Elon Musk is working towards [NOTE: Link to latest post…it doesn’t appear to be up on the site yet]. What’s not changing is that we are more reliant on our technology infrastructure than at any time in the past. Want to optimize your business tech and stay on the cutting edge? Contact the professionals at Alvarez Technology Group today by calling 831-200-8167, and see why our clients rave about the levels of service that we offer.