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Imagine the increase of traffic for those who can't drive or lost the ability to drive. Seniors, the handicapped, those who never got their license due to fear of driving. Self-driving cars are supposed to help with gridlock? Yeah, no.
Yes, as with any technology there will be unanticipated consequences. Computers were supposed to dramatically reduce the need for paper. We are probably there today, with lots of manuals and documentation being published online, lots of paperless processes for buying tickets, etc. But the initial consequence was an increase in paper demand.
Self-drivers should cut down the number of accidents on the freeways. Here in Phoenix it's beyond ridiculous how many accidents we have every day. But call me skeptical when it comes to these cars being some panacea that will solve our congestion problems. It may even be difficult to measure the impact, since the rollout will take a long while and there will be lots of other changes during that time.
No doubt they are coming... in some shape or form. It will be really interesting to see how it all unfolds, and I wouldn't even want to guess where we'll be ten or twenty years from now. I think a lot of this will come down to economics, legal, and legislative questions.
That just takes away human dignity. We are at the point where enough is automated and doing too much more will enslave us to machines and take away human dignity.
Something that automates washing dishes and other tasks frees you to pursue things you enjoy. If you enjoy washing dishes have a blast but if you enjoy working with your hands I'd suggest taking up wood working or something else productive. Just because a task can be automated doesn't mean it needs to be.
Imagine the increase of traffic for those who can't drive or lost the ability to drive. Seniors, the handicapped, those who never got their license due to fear of driving. Self-driving cars are supposed to help with gridlock? Yeah, no.
There isn't a whole lot of management with the flow of traffic and the road surface available is not fully utilized. With self driving cars the management of that in a highly congested area can be centrally controlled, e.g. no more stop signs, red lights or direction of travel in a lane.
That's assuming that :
a) price for fuel is constant or falling;
b) population increase doesn't create more traffic jams;
c) taxes don't increase to fund the infrastructure.
I'm betting on the opposite:
a) price for fuel will rise;
b) population increase will gridlock the roads;
c) the tax cost will skyrocket, while infrastructure decays (potholes and decrepit bridges will proliferate).
Which means a wholesale shift to a different mode of transportation that won't rely on automobiles, pavement, nor petroleum.
a) I'm expecting autonomous cars to roll out with EVs. If I have to put solar panels on the roof to charge it, I can do that. The price for solar panels is dropping 10% a year, which can't go on forever, but with mass production, electricity will be very cheap. Dino juice is likely to get a lot cheaper from the competition.
b) Gridlock is only a nightmare for those on a schedule. When you are retired, you don't have to be at your desk at 8 AM. I can spend the time having a rousing game of cribbage with my wife.
c) That is totally irrelevant. Taxes are the same if you are gripping the steering wheel or not. Registration fees for EVs have already increased to reflect the fact that they don't pay gasoline taxes. It only amounts to a few hundred bucks a year.
The repercussions would be gargantuan:
Driver is the largest employer of men. They will sit at home popping opiate painkillers and buying food via government programs. A miserable existence.
The airlines will suffer tremendously. Why get a TSA pat down when your car can make the trip cheaper and effortless? Airline travel is riven with hassles like overweight baggage or toothpaste confiscation.
Lodging will not be needed nearly as much. You don't need sleep when something else is driving. Three day trips are now two day trips.
Dining has the same fate as lodging. One can now eat while the car drives itself. The need for a break is much reduced.
I could do Colorado to Florida in a day. Just push some buttons and strap my hand to the wheel.
Right now the car may drive itself into the Gulf of Mexico. There are bugs to be worked out. I've seen Garmin and Magellan and smartphone apps do a lot of crazy stuff. Unexplainable crazy stuff. Like get off the interstate, drive 5 miles north then 5 miles south then get back on the interstate. Computers have bugs. Or the NRO has a weird. sense of humor. Maybe both.
Computers really do get affected by "space interference". Passenger jets have literally fallen out of the sky as a result. Sometimes the pilot is alert enough to correct it. What if they are dozing off?
The truth is that possibly 90% of all jobs can be replaced. Especially politicians. This is going to get interesting.
There isn't a whole lot of management with the flow of traffic and the road surface available is not fully utilized. With self driving cars the management of that in a highly congested area can be centrally controlled, e.g. no more stop signs, red lights or direction of travel in a lane.
Won't there always be a need for lights and stop signs? Pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists? Cars that aren't self-driving?
Something that automates washing dishes and other tasks frees you to pursue things you enjoy. If you enjoy washing dishes have a blast but if you enjoy working with your hands I'd suggest taking up wood working or something else productive. Just because a task can be automated doesn't mean it needs to be.
I am for dish washers and wash machines and dryers but that is as far as I will take it. When I say I do not want a robot doing my fishes, I mean them unloading or loading them into the dish washer just like I would not want a robot taking place of a human for anything.
Dish washers and wash machines are not robots. They are a better form of automation that doe snot take away human dignity as they do not think for themselves.
Either way driverless cars are the worst idea ever. There are way too many variables on a congested road to ever trust a computer with infinite number of variables!! Nothing will ever change my mind on that.
I am for dish washers and wash machines and dryers but that is as far as I will take it. When I say I do not want a robot doing my fishes, I mean them unloading or loading them into the dish washer just like I would not want a robot taking place of a human for anything.
Dish washers and wash machines are not robots. They are a better form of automation that doe snot take away human dignity as they do not think for themselves.
Either way driverless cars are the worst idea ever. There are way too many variables on a congested road to ever trust a computer with infinite number of variables!! Nothing will ever change my mind on that.
The day is rapidly approaching that computers will be a million times smarter than mankind. They may decide that we look a lot like ants. That they don't need rain and oxygen either. That man is a threat that wants his power back.
I know self driving cars are supposed to be coming in the very near future. But I question if self driving cars will ever be the "norm." I remember when solar power was supposed to be the "norm" 30-40 years ago, and that never really took off. I think autonomous cars are going the way of solar power.
Self driving cars will be required to use a GPS to navigate. I "ass"-ume that means you will have to enter an address in the GPS (either by hand or voice activated) to every stop you intend to take on your route. Wow. I have used 3-4 different GPS systems and they leave a lot to be desired in terms of being able to customize your route.
This past weekend I was in Newport, RI, and I was using a GPS to help me navigate on the one way, (many times unmarked) streets. On more than one occasion the GPS told me to take a right or left on a street that:
1: Didn't exist. I would have been taking a left or right onto a sidewalk into a building.
2: Was a one way street, going the opposite direction. That is dangerous. Being a human, I saw that the street was one way, but the opposite direction. Would a self driving car GPS system notice it? My GPS didn't.
Are the GPS systems in self driving cars better than GPS systems we use now in our human driven cars? They better be, because right now GPS systems are not fool proof at all. Not even close.
Another thing. Will self driving cars ever really be able to drive in snow? I really do not see that happening. I live in an area of the country that gets on average 125 inches of snow a year. Driving in snow is treacherous. I am sorry, I just don't see self driving cars being the "norm." It sounds good on paper, but in reality there are just too many variables to overcome.
BTW, what about car insurance on a self driving car? If I am not driving the car why should it be my fault if my car gets in an accident? It should be the car's fault. What about driver's licenses? Why should I have one if I am not driving the car. If I am required to have one in order to "take over the car" in an emergency, how well do you think I will be able to drive? Will one be required to drive normally for a few years to get used to driving before being allowed to be in a self driving car?
So many questions...
Just wondering where you live? Solar is really common (1 in 10 or so) in my area here in the NE and we are not considered a prime area. Given your description of your snow totals, maybe you just live in a really bad solar area.
Anyway, my bestie has a Tesla and it is self driving and it does not use GPS.
As for insurance, my home owners insurance covers so many things that have nothing to do with my home. Car insurance will be the same.
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