Pump the breaks on self-driving cars

Over the years America has experienced the evolution of automobiles. Automobile transportation has been constantly altering. 

In the late 19th century diesel cars were first invented and have led to the development of hybrid vehicles in the late 20th century.

Now that we’re in the 21st century we’ve fast forwarded to self-driving cars. Recently, Tesla has made it clear that new cars made by their brand will include a self-driving feature that’s called, “AutoPilot.” 

Of course, having a car’s features to be an extra set of senses while driving is important,but people have taken advantage of this feature and are falling asleep or excessively using their cell phones at the wheel.

In this feature, very little human interaction is needed to be driving. 

In March 2018, a woman was struck and killed by a self-driving Uber car. This is the first known pedestrian to be killed by a self-driven car.

In a case like this, who is exactly at fault, humans or technology? Although the car is designed to drive itself, there’s still a driver who’s responsible for being aware of any object or people on the road. We all experience glitches with technology, whether it be with our cell phones or laptops.

Although when it comes to a car having the amount of technology and so-called intelligence to drive itself, I believe a driver should be more aware than ever. 

Other features like assisted parking and self-braking are rather helpful than harmful to a driver and even pedestrians. Together, we should consider factors like security and weather problems first. Imagine if your self-driving car was stolen, the information of your locations would be leaked to the one who stole your vehicle. 

As for weather issues, if there’s extremely heavy rain or snow, car sensors and cameras might be covered and it might not allow your car to read a road sign. 

While self-driving cars are made and ready to use, I believe consumers are simply just not ready to drive these cars on the road just yet.