Research Paper 11/19/13 James Sigman In 2010, 33,000 Americans alone were killed in automobile accidents.

This was the lowest number in a year since 1949. Something clearly needs to change. These deaths are senseless, and in vain. Each one of these stories is a live lost, a true tragedy overlooked by the country. How can society advance with one of the most widely used means of transportation being this dangerous? Think of all the car accidents caused by people texting while driving, all the injuries caused by talking on the phone, all the deaths caused by drinking and driving. Think of all the drivers thrown in jail, barely able to live with themselves knowing what they have done. Think of the pain caused to the families of the victims. Self-driving cars can take away potential future pain caused by driver negligence, and create a safer and more efficient society. Many cars today have automated features on them even if they are not entirely automated. Some examples are those systems that wake up the driver if he or she is falling asleep, keep the car in the lane if it starts to drift, and even parallel park the car by itself. The U.S. Department of Transportations National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has categorized cars into five levels of automation, the first being NoAutomation, in which the driver is in complete control of major functions at all times. The next level is called Function-Specific Automation, where the car assists the driver in ways like starting to brake faster than the driver could by themself. Next is Combined-Function Automation, in which two automated functions work simultaneously in the vehicle. For instance, the car can have electronic lane centering sensors and adaptive cruise control. The next step up is called Limited Self-Driving

Automation, in which the driver can give all forms of vehicular control to the car, but may still override for control of the machine. This is where the prototypes are at right now. Then the highest tier of self driving-cars is Full Self-Driving Automation, when the car can be carrying passengers or not, and simply needs an input for a destination. This is what the aim is to create going forward. Google has created a prototype fleet of driverless cars that have already logged over 500,000 miles. The only accident that occurred has been when a human driver overrode the computer automation and even then, the other car was at fault. Volvo has made it their goal to ensure that no one is hurt or seriously injured while in their cars. They plan to turn this dream into a reality by 2020. Dr. Sven Beiker of Stanford University believes humans might have completely autonomous vehicles 20 years from now. These prototypes signify that the technology is almost there for use in the country. However, governmental policy regarding the topic is a completely different matter. Nevada, California and Florida have all legalized autonomous vehicles so far, but there are many questions surrounding the laws. Can a policeman pull over a self-driving car? Who is to blame if an automated vehicle damages something? Injures someone? Kills someone? Even though 97 percent of car crashes are caused by human error, as Massachusetts Institute of Technology research scientist Bryan Reimer notes, the public is far less accepting of mechanical error than of human error. It is a similar problem to that of the implementation of airbags in the 1970s. Initially, auto manufacturers were apprehensive about their widespread use in motorized transport because they feared they would be held liable if people died even with airbags in cars. The fact remains that the safety measure did help save lives, regardless of who was at fault if it failed.

There are interesting correlations that can be drawn between the use of selfdriving cars and the allowance of vaccines. Although there are risk factors associated with the use of vaccines, the government grants liability exceptions to vaccine distributors because they are beneficial for the public as a whole. In the same way, if self-driving cars are permitted on the streets, they will end 97 percent of current carrelated deaths. There will be anomalous tragedies in which people will be hurt or even killed by mechanical problems, but if it really saves that many lives, does it matter who is at fault? The overall effect of these cars is positive, and that is what is important. However, the government must intervene in order to make this a reality. Gary E. Marchant, director of the center for Law, Science, and Innovation at Arizona State University wonders why the autonomous vehicle manufacturers even put money into developing it [autonomous technology]? He sees these questions of liability as a huge barrier to this technology unless some policy ways are found around it. The government must intervene in this matter, and make it easier for the automakers to create unmanned cars. If the government really has a duty to protect its citizens, it must ensure that driving related deaths stop now. Self-driving cars will drastically affect current insurance policies as well. The accounting firm KPMG and the Center for Automotive Research released a report in which they predict autonomous fully automated self-driving cars will not have the infrastructural support to become widely used before 2025. They also believe that the auto liability premium will drop from 25 percent of the 2012 total industry premium to 20 percent by 2017. Additionally, they think the auto physical damage premium will drop by 4 percent and the total property and casualty industry premium will drop by 9 percent.

Keep in mind that this is all still 8 years before they believe autonomous cars will be commonly used. The research edifies that driverless cars will shift liability away from the driver, and focus it on the carmaker. Car insurance will become a fraction of what it is today for the consumer, because driver negligence will no longer be a factor in the payment. Essentially, car owner insurance will become a thing of the past very soon. Self-driving cars will eliminate any need for navigation tools of ones own. The cars can all be connected via satellite GPS, and one may simply input a destination to have the car take them there or get picked up. There will be no more struggle with maps or current GPS machines to figure out where to go, because it will be on one system. However, this does create potential threats. If a satellite shuts down for any reason, it could cause huge backups over the entire world. Moreover, a new breed of terrorist could emerge, of the computer hacking sort. Terrorists could potentially hack the satellite mainframes and cause massive havoc. These cars could be told to crash into each other and create disaster of an unprecedented magnitude. So how will the people face this problem? As they have faced any terrorist threat. The government must enhance cyber defense, and the satellites have to be thoroughly checked out to make sure they are up to code and can be resilient to potential malfunctions. The government will have to regulate more in general when it comes to the implementation of self-driving cars. One of the most important aspects of these cars is that they will revolutionize the way the current society functions. People will no longer need their own cars, but can simply call for one that is just roaming the street with their smartphone. No longer will people have to own their own cars, because it will be needless. Parking lots and

driveways will become obsolete, because there wont be any need for parking anymore. All that space can be restored to what it was before it was a parking lot. For example, so much of even National Parks, like Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Park, are taken up by parking space. It detracts from the scenery and hinders the communion with nature that these parks are meant to provide. It reminds humans of the material world, and prevents them for being immersed in the natural one. By taking those away, these natural wonders will no longer be profaned by the same level of human interaction, and can allow the wildlife to have its space back. Furthermore, these cars will be able to drive closer together on highways and streets because they will not be subject to human error. Therefore, even more space will be given back for other uses. Privacy could become a major issue if the transportation cloud, as some people have come to call it, comes to fruition. The government could take control of the whole of the car industry, since a viable option would be for the cars to become a new kind of public transportation. People may be apprehensive about the government taking more responsibility than it has today. This will be a barrier to the implementation of these automobiles. The widespread use of autonomous cars will also benefit the natural world because it will create a healthier environment. By not having the stereotypical two-car family anymore, cars do not need to be lying around unused, and people will end up carpooling more frequently. This mode of communal transportation will greatly reduce the amount of carbon and fossil fuel emissions. Secondly, these cars will be much more efficient drivers. They will know exactly when to brake for the lowest amount of fuel expended, the optimal angle to turn, and precisely when to change lanes. They will be

able to drive exactly straight, not having to correct at any time, and there will not be any wrong turns taken or headlights left on. In addition, they will be able to communicate with other cars on the roads (once all cars become autonomous) and will not have to wait in stoplights or intersections. A study from the Texas A&M University Transportation Institute found that in 2011 Americans spent 5.5 billion hours in traffic, creating 121 billion dollars lost in fuel. They will be able to drive at faster speeds, because it will be safe as long as humans are not controlling the wheel. All in all, they will be better for the environment because they will take less time with their driving and be more efficient with it. Unmanned vehicles will allow for those people marginalized by the current system of transportation to have the ability to commute easily once again. The blind, elderly, young, intoxicated, busy, and disabled will all be given safe transportation. The fatality rate for persons over 85 is nine times the fatality rate of persons for 25-69. This fatality rate is 4 times that of teenage drivers. This is due to a variety of reasons, including an increased susceptibility to injury that comes with age, a decrease in cognitive function, a decrease in visual ability, and an increase in medical complications. Moreover, it will allow the elderly to maintain some part of their independence as they age, as they will still be able to get around and potentially delay admittance to nursing homes. This will also create a new kind of child. There is a certain level of independence that comes with getting ones license in high school. Getting around by oneself is an empowering experience that kids will soon be able to go pretty much anywhere without their parents. No longer will they have to take a school bus, but can instead just hop in a car in the transportation cloud to get where they would like to go.

Their parents will no longer have to drive them to practice, but they can instead just travel by themselves. Moreover, drunk driving will no longer plague the streets. Parents will not have to worry about their kids being hit by someone who has had too much to drink that night. Texting while driving will no longer be such a prominent problem. With all these reversals of responsibilities and traditional roles, the social structure could be impacted in unforeseen ways. For example, think of the long vacations when Dad was driving. Think of the kids no longer having to spend all that frustrating time with their parents learning how to drive so they could get their license. Think of the swagger the juniors in high school are filled with when they can finally drive to school. Driving will no longer be a sign of maturity as it is today. Parents and kids will have substantially different interactions than they do nowadays, as the kiss and ride will cease to exist. Smartphones will be required at younger and younger ages with all this new access to transportation. Tailgating may lose its flavor, as no cars will be necessary to have them in. The usual high school car wash fundraisers could be taken away, since no one will want to pay for the washing of a public car. The social dynamic of the man driving a car to take a girl for a date will be done away with. The inconvenience of paying for valet parking will be no more. The economy may hurt in the short term, since there will no longer be a need for the employment of truck, taxi, and bus drivers. People will not have the same outlooks on police officers that they do now, as they will not have the same encounters as they do now. The feeling of driving to relieve stress or just to relax will be gone as well, that enjoyable feeling of being in control of a machine will be another thing lost in this advancement.

The way humans listen to music nowadays could be greatly impacted as well. The car is one of the primary sources in which humans listen to music nowadays. Sure, people put headphones in while they are working out or studying, but while one is doing as simple a task as driving they can really listen to the music, rather than just using it as background noise during another activity. Rarely will people listen to the radio outside of the car, and so popular music may be negatively affected by the advancement of selfdriving cars, as people will most likely utilize commuting time to work or use other forms of entertainment. The most critical benefit of autonomous vehicles is that they will save lives. No matter the policies, insurance, or possible effects on the current social structure: they will be on the whole a hugely positive change for the good of humans everywhere. The cars themselves will not be as effective until implemented everywhere though. Once roads are filled with entirely self-driving cars, they will provide safer and more efficient travel for everyone. The notion of stopping lifesaving technology because of liability issues is ludicrous. What must be remembered is that the identification of the guilty party is of far less importance than the safety of the people.

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