Experts in the technology and automotive industries are deadset on the future of self-driving cars. They claim that the roads will be full of them and that it is just a matter of time until that becomes reality. However, can a fully autonomous car without any manual navigation really be safe?
Turns out they can be quite dangerous. In September of 2017, self-driving cars caused six accidents. As exciting as self-driving cars are, there are certain risks that you should be aware of. Here are three dangers that the rise of autonomous cars poses to people like you.
1. Car accidents
Self-driving cars will need to navigate existing streets and highways. These roadways are obviously not optimized for autonomous vehicles. Plus, self-driving cars rely on software, instead of road signs. What happens when the speed limit changes due to construction or a lane becomes a turn-only lane? Roadways are not predictable, and these sudden changes may cause an accident.
2. Computer hacking
A self-driving car is a computing device that uses software. Someone could hack into the vehicle systems and manipulate acceleration, steering or braking. The consequences of such hacking could be disastrous. Imagine suddenly losing control of your vehicle. Not only that, but a hacker may be able to gain access to personal information about the owner of the car.
3. System malfunction
You know that machines malfunction all the time. Computers sometimes glitch and act unpredictably or suddenly shut down. This could also happen to a self-driving car. If the car computer fails while driving at a high speed, it is much more consequential than your laptop glitching while you are browsing the web on your couch.
Autonomous cars are hitting the streets of the United States, and they will probably only get more popular. As you can tell, this can put drivers like you at risk. Getting into an accident with a self-driving car is a real possibility.
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