Long, stressful car rides will soon be a thing of the past as big companies like Google and Mercedes make massive leaps toward automation in vehicles.  These vehicles are not far from being commercially made and that is why it is such a big deal.  There are already several prototypes that have been built and are very functional, but they are still missing some key features.

Simple things like stop lights are currently what are holding the new prototypes back.  These vehicles, once fully functional, will be absolutely revolutionary.  Not only will they be a more comfortable way for people to travel, but will also allow people with disabilities to go from one location to another in the safety of an automated car.  It will also help people to be more productive as they won’t have to focus on the road.

Brady Shultz said, “It would be nice because you could do homework on your way to school”.

However, the FBI has already hinted that they could also be used as weapons.  For example, terrorists could program a car to drive into a populated area and seriously cause some major damage.   These cars could be abused by hackers as well since they will most likely be running on computers as they navigate the streets.  This creates a massive problem as new software will have to be created so that the proper security measures are implemented.

If history repeats itself than we all know that the chances of these cars malfunctioning and causing damage is very probable.

Nicholas Gibbs said, “There are several problems that will most likely arise and hopefully they will be ironed out early before any harm is done.”

In today’s world nothing is built to last, and even the major car companies, specifically GM, had to recently recall millions of cars for ignition switches.  If you think about it, if something as simple is this is an issue, imagine how unsafe the streets could be when automation takes over.

Although this may not be a problem, there is also the discussion of whether or not people really want this.  If you think about it, the average American genuinely enjoys driving his or her car and takes pride in what they drive.  Ford has made it a staple of their company that they are predominantly American made and with that comes a feeling of nationalism when you purchase and get behind the wheel in one of their vehicles.  If automation became so common it is possible that the government would force people to use it in order to prevent wrecks from occurring.