Drivers in Las Vegas have been dealing with a new kid on the roadway. The City is piloting a program using an autonomous shuttle to drive people around. The self-driving car uses GPS along with other technology, including curb sensors to navigate through the streets. The oval-shaped, 12 passenger shuttle was developed by the French company Navya.
Slowly but Surely
The compact shuttle being used in Las Vegas is the first self-driving vehicle promoted as being used for the public in the United States. While other countries are piloting their own programs, more U.S. cities are also exploring the possibilities of self-driving public transportation. Such a transition raises many questions about how this will affect transportation in the future.
For one thing, the transition between manned vehicles and the self-driving car is going to take time. It won’t happen in a flash. That being said, it is easy to imagine a world where unmanned vehicles are prolific. Think of all the other modes of technology we have come to accept over time despite the questions and concerns that have been raised.
Even the automobile itself, once called the horseless carriage, was as new to the public of the day as the self-driving car is to us. Many thought it would never catch on, and now most of us can’t bear to be without our wheels!
Self-Driving Cars and Safety
The main concern most people have is the safety of self-driving cars. The artificial intelligence used to propel and manage these vehicles is very advanced. Researchers have used human reactions to help design the way in which these cars react to different driving situations. Self-driving cars are programmed to sense and anticipate situations in which an accident may occur and prevent it from happening.
Despite the overall high marks these vehicles get for safety, they are not completely foolproof. Minor accidents have happened with self-driving cars. One of the autonomous shuttles launched in Las Vegas had a minor accident with a truck only a couple of hours after its unveiling. No one was hurt, and the damage was minimal. Still, it raises questions about the safety of such vehicles. In this particular instance, the truck driver was found to be at fault.
The future holds some exciting changes for how we do things, and how we exist in the world. Keeping an open mind and trusting the processes will help us make the necessary adjustments as our world turns more and more to technology. Some of the changes will be slow, and some will be faster, but one thing is for certain, change is always on the horizon.
One thing that won’t change is the excellence and caring you will find at Frohlich, Gordon & Beason, P.A. We are the lawyers who care. When you have a personal injury case, or you need assistance with business litigation, give us a call. We serve southwestern Florida, encompassing the areas of North Port, Port Charlotte, and Englewood.