Few modern incarnations have such a high-level of disruption than self-driving cars. MIT Sloan recently took a look at the potential impact.
Last month, the House passed the “Self Drive Act,” which establishes a “federal framework for regulating self-driving cars.” This legislation permits 25,000 self-driving cars on the road annually between now and 2020, followed by 100,000 per year after that.
Sloan professor David Keith, whose research explores emerging automotive technologies, says self-driving cars have “the potential to change the whole paradigm of vehicle ownership.”
According to Fortune, most cars are parked 95 percent of the day. Shared self-driving cars would save car-less consumers money, create less congestion on the roads, reduce commute times, and offer mobility for folks who otherwise can’t drive—“teenagers; people who are sick; those who have lost their license; and the elderly.”
As job opportunities open up for people as a direct result of self-driving cars, it’s likely the ubiquity of autonomous vehicles will put bus drivers, as well as the 3.5 million truck drivers, out of work. Keith puts an optimistic spin on the development, believing there is still a need for human involvement, “whether it is for loading and unloading freight on trucks or ensuring the safety and comfort of passengers on buses.”
The article points out that the House will impose minimal oversight on self-driving car manufacturers due to the fact that autonomous vehicles will significantly reduce the number of motor accidents, which topped 40,000 in 2016, according to the New York Times. Autopilot-activated Teslas reduced the likelihood of crashes by 40 percent, according to data.
Keith concludes, “To ensure that self-driving cars can reliably make good decisions, even in situations they’ve never before encountered, we need to get more self-driving cars on the road.