You Can Drive My Car: Self-Driving Cars Save Lives
Few things remind you of your mortality more than a trip in the passenger seat of a bad driver. Autonomous vehicles (AVs) are becoming more common, offering a safer answer to the age-old question of “who’s driving?”
Driverless cars are not a new idea; several major companies have been tweaking and improving their models for years. The rise in sophisticated artificial intelligence (AI) has propelled the autonomous vehicle movement forward. Perhaps the most well-known AV, Waymo, has deployed fleets of “robotaxis” in major cities across the U.S. Other AVs are vying for a piece of the growing market, like Glydcar, Cruise, and Zoox.
These vehicles are more than a welcome relief from having to explain directions to a driver, endure bad (or even dangerous) driving and endless horn honking along the way, and listen to the music choices of someone else. New data analyzing Waymo’s track record indicates that driverless cars are significantly safer and more accurate than human-driven vehicles.
The peer-reviewed study analyzed millions of miles driven by Waymo robotaxis (without a human present to make emergency corrections) and compared these results to miles driven by humans. The difference was astounding. Vox reported, “Compared to human drivers, the Waymo self-driving cars had: 81 percent fewer airbag-deploying crashes, 85 percent fewer crashes with suspected serious or worse injuries, 96 percent fewer injury crashes at intersections (primarily because Waymo detects other cars running red lights faster than humans,) 92 percent fewer crashes that involve injuries to pedestrians.”
These AI powered vehicles aren’t just a bay area phenomenon. Waymo cars began learning the streets of New Orleans early this year. Anyone at all familiar with the city will understand that this is no small task. In a report from Axios, Josh Fleig, Louisiana’s chief innovation officer, described an effort to “get involved early with big tech companies” to best understand how to leverage their business and innovation in favor of Louisianians.
While Robotaxis on the streets of New Orleans were temporary, their presence signals a growing preparedness on the part of the Pelican State. Innovations like AVs can reduce the tragedies of reckless driving and bring the economic benefits of new, innovative tech companies to their respective cities. Driverless cars epitomize the humanity of technological progress: human innovation can offset human error to save human lives.
Rather than seek to restrict or stop the use of such technologies, lawmakers should look to the data that shows the safety and potential of driverless cars. Autonomous vehicles are driving both passengers and a revolution in road safety.
Links to Learn More:
The Life-or-Death Case for Self-Driving Cars-Vox
Autonomous vehicles are here. Let’s embrace them – R Street Institute
