DC Will Take The Global Lead On Self-Driving Cars

Self Driving Cars  

People everywhere are encouraged with the prospect of self-driving cars. The technology has the potential to virtually eliminate drunk driving and other distracted driving problems. It also may make enjoying our journeys possible, taking away our worries about the road and traffic.

A couple of decades ago, government regulators in Washington were interested in creating rules for software that could help disabled people. They sought help from all sectors of the industry. Eventually, they noticed that one company, Microsoft, contributed a lot more time and energy to the process than other companies did. After this dynamic continued for a while, the net result was that Microsoft ended up creating the lion's share of the requirements and explanation for people who were disabled and need to access software.

Because they did a good job, there were no complaints. In fact it has often been held up as a model of government cooperation with industry that works. Which is certainly something to think about as the US government turns to looking at creating federal standards for self-driving cars. According to some analysts, there is a very real chance that interference at too many levels of government could create problems for the industry- which is why they feel that the industry has lined up behind creating federal standards for self-driving cars. The federal government should save manufacturers money if they get involved as a benign presence.

Another thing about federal standards:

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When it comes to implementation of cars that have self-driving systems, the underlying radar and other systems that are used have been a question in the past. The problem isn't so much whether they work or not, because testing on existing models has shown that the major manufacturers systems are close to being perfect. Instead the concern is that someone will take the technology out of the car and modify it to do things like create virtual prisons in neighborhoods. The same radar that can look through the car ahead of you and tell you whether the car in front of that is stopping dangerously can also be used to look through walls of homes and detect motion. That capability allows criminals to pull the sensors from cars and use them to 'keep an eye' upon your home. They will know specifically when you come and go and where you are.

The answer for manufacturers is to rely on federal standards even more. Michigan state law already outlaws the use of electronics as weapons, making it easy for federal regulators to look to it as a model to curtail the use of car toys and features as prison wardens. With the stroke of a pen, liability for manufacturers could go away nationwide, making federal rules a pretty strong ally.

Uber is just one of many companies shaking up the future of transportation with self driving cars

Insurance questions will be answered

Another area that is in turmoil with regard to self-driving cars is how insurance rates will be handled. Switching to self driving cars should lower insurance rates to the point where they will allow customers to save quite a bit of money each year. Although there will likely be a challenge brought by insurance companies, there is a good opportunity for those in Washington DC to save automobile owners some money. According to iii.org, not only will prices on insurance likely move downward as cars integrate more self-driving technology into them, there will also be a trend away from car ownership because it will be easier to use a car that is community owned when you need it. So, according to people that compile information regarding future trends, there will likely be less insurance coverage necessary in the future.

So far, most people seemed pleased with the prospect of adding self-driving cars to the road. One positive is that they will do away with drunk driving and driving under the influence problems. Another benefit is the notion that people can enjoy their journey more because they are not watching the road.

By  Lindsey Patterson	Embed
Author Bio - Lindsey is a freelance writer specializing in business and consumer technology.