Automatic Self Driving Cars are Here and are Fast

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             In this article in Popular Science, “Video: Google’s Self-Driving Car Performs Like a Precise Maniac” a bunch of passengers are taken on a drive by driverless car. Just watching the accompanying video is amazing. Just goes to show you, if you throw enough, time, money, and engineers to a problem it can be overcome. Now the only problem is when do  I get my driverless car?

             It sounds too good to be true, but it is. Google along with DARPA, have built and shown a car that drives itself. This is amazing. I mean for one thing people with long commutes will be less tired once this technology makes it’s way into most cars. They will be less tired because they could sleep on their way to work without having to worry about driving. Long trips could be seen as not a hassle because while the computer does the driving you could read a book, newspaper, surf the net, or just have a full attention conversation with the other passengers. But the problem remains, how soon until this gear makes its way into regular cars? Well I believe like airbags there will be a steady introduction phase. First, high end models would get this autopilot if requested. Then it would become standard on high end models. Then it would become an option on standard models before finally become standard to all models. Your talking a lot of years. However a lot of people did not think airbags would catch on. Laws and regulations helped that. Just think of a future where you don’t have to be burdened with driving. If your drunk, the car detects your blood alcohol level and decides whether or not to drive you home. if your blind, or visually impaired, suddenly, you can buy a car that takes you where ever you need to go. Also, with more precise usage of braking and accelerating there would be less congestion. All the cars would more or less travel at the same speed.

               I truly believe that once this technology is in all cars people will be a lot less crabby at work. They won’t have the stress of a driver cutting them off. They could attend, by Internet, an early work meeting right there in their car. Okay, maybe that is going too far.