I think driverless cars could be a wonderful thing, but I do not think they will be perfect. Even if a driverless car did everything it was programmed to do, you still have other people out there being unpredictable.
Personally, I hate driving. It scares me. No matter how well I drive, there are other people who are not paying attention or being careful. I think that would be the biggest hurdle. How do you compensate for other people's mistakes? If they are at fault for a driverless car accident, obviously, they are responsible for damages. If something goes wrong with the driverless car itself, the company who made the car should be responsible for damages. If people purchase a driverless car (and I'm sure it would be at a hefty price), they depend on it to keep them safe. They would have no control, therefor, they cannot be held responsible for an accident.
Another small issue I see with a driverless car is if you bought one for your family, the person who typically sat in the driver's seat will now have to sit somewhere else and depending on family size, it might be a tight fit. I know the ideal is that it helps people with a handicap, but some people might just be anxious drivers like me. Car size would have to increase for certain family sizes.
I love the idea and think it would be really great to give some people more independence. I think it would require either a lot more thought or some other type of compliance from the entire population to work. I have thought of roads built just for the use of driverless cars with their GPS data syncing and working together, but I don't know.
2nd students discussion
In my mind, driverless cars mean that the vehicle is fully automated and performs all aspects of the driving experience. The current technology of cars already includes driver assisted functions such as steering and braking/acceleration (think Cruise Control).
Currently,if an accident occurs, it is usually due to the impairment or faulty decision-making of the driver and the driver pays the damages. If the car has faulty mechanics which causes the accident, then the manufacturer of the car could be liable for damages.
The responsible party will be largely determined by how the state laws are constructed regarding fully automated driverless cars. I think the burden will initially fall on the manufacturers of driverless cars because they own and develop the technology. However, if there is an aspect of driverless cars that includes the intervention of a real human during the driving experience, and that intervention results in an accident, then liability could shift to the human, who may or may not actually own the vehicle. So, liability will not necessarily equate to the ownership of the vehicle.
I think the driverless technology will play a role in the transportation industry in the future, probably in the delivery systems of products. I think the technology could save time and money, relieve traffic congestion, and positively impact the environment. As to driverless technology for personal use, I think it’s coming but will be expensive for individuals to own a vehicle. But maybe there will be another type of infrastructure developed that won’t require individuals to own a vehicle to take advantage of the technology. Personally, I like driving and would never own a vehicle where I wasn’t in complete control of the driving experience. Maybe in 5 or 10 years, I’ll have a different opinion. I know at one point I told myself I would never own anything but a manual-shift vehicle, but I bought an automatic several years ago and really like it.
2nd students discussion