Since they were invented by Karl Benz around the mid-1880s, Cars were and still are a revolutionary invention. It completely changes the way people get around and has allowed us to go further in a shorter time. Technology, over time, has allowed us to make improvements to the car in many ways. For example Cruise control, GPS, Turn signals, assisted braking, and many more. The most influential improvement to the car, however, is to allow the car to drive on its own.
Self-driving cars are a relatively new concept and to an extent is already in use on roads. Tesla, as an example, is known for its electric cars but also for the self-driving feature embedded in the vehicle. The self-driving feature allows the car to take control of the driving while you can read the newspaper on your way to work. The way this works is through cameras installed all around the car. Essentially this give eyes to the vehicle and with radio or light waves they can scan their environment and other vehicles around them.
So why do we need them
A recent study has shown that 90% of road accidents are caused by human error. With autonomous cars, factors that directly or indirectly cause accidents such as human fatigue or illness are not factors anymore. Self-driving cars can also view essentially 360 degrees around the car at all times and can anticipate almost every move any surrounding cars can make. This can prevent many accidents ever occurring and can prevent the death of innocent people who could have been killed because someone was angry or drunk while driving. Preventing accidents can also prevent the need for EMS and the cost for insurance companies.
Autonomous cars are the next step in how we get around. It is safer and more efficient as human factors are not a part in the driving of a self-driving vehicle. This has also a factor in the cost of insurance as well as the prevention of major repairs.
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