The invention of autonomous vehicles has had many negative responses from experts and research studies. Autonomous vehicles have several risks including liability issues, mechanical errors, and the possibility of hacking activities. This persuasive essay will explain why autonomous vehicles are a bad idea.
Autonomous Vehicles
Autonomous vehicles are those that guide themselves without the intervention of humans ( Mahdavi, Dascalescu &Bizon, 2014). Today, self-driving vehicles are not safe and they pose risks to its users and the environment at large. According to research, autonomous vehicles are five times more likely to get involved in an accident compared to driver vehicles. This can be attributed to the fact that self-driven cars follow the law to the latter, something that most human driven vehicles do not hence increasing the probability of collisions ( Riehl, 2018). The vehicles are also not effective in times of bad weather such as seagulls and snows. A research by the World Economic Forum indicates that snow alters the traction of autonomous vehicles and also changes how the vehicles sensors and cameras perceive the streets. This attribute is dangerous and can possibly lead to accidents in the roads.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Autonomous vehicle will most likely make us deviate away from driving experiences and make us almost completely rely on the technology. Implementation of autonomous vehicles will further change what it actually means to possess and drive a vehicle ( Mahdavi, Dascalescu &Bizon, 2014). Most people have always dreamt of having cars for the love of driving and once autonomous vehicle system has been fully implemented, it would be impossible for people to drive around for leisure ( Dixit, Chand & Nair, 2016). Furthermore, concerns on the false sense of security in self-driven vehicles are also on the rise as people will pay less attention in the vehicles which are prone to mechanical and computer errors.
In regard to mechanical errors, the ethical choice of either running into pedestrians or hitting a nearby obstacle during transitions may be hard for the computer to decide ( Dixit, Chand & Nair, 2016). This is because some manufacturers like Mercedes have already made a decision that their vehicles would protect its occupants rather that bystanders or other pedestrians. Such ethical decisions have led to significant concerns regarding the actual safety that autonomous vehicle claims to provide ( Mahdavi, Dascalescu &Bizon, 2014). This aspect will most likely lead to the preference of people to buy the vehicles to protect them and their families at the good luck of other kids, pedestrians and cyclists if not contrarily enforced by the government.
The fact that the vehicles are run by computers also raises concerns since the vehicles are prone to hacking. In case hacking of the driver-less vehicles happens, the traffic of a particular city would most likely get disrupted hence leading to delays and even possible accidents ( Riehl, 2018). A study from Washington State University indicates that confounding the sensors of a driver-less vehicle is much easier since one would only need to add stickers to the street signs and change the way the vehicle perceives the road ( Mahdavi, Dascalescu &Bizon, 2014). Hacking would be common and hackers may either slow down or speed up the vehicles in the middle of the road and ask for ransom ware before returning the vehicle back to its normal state.
Liability issues may also arise as people will have to rethink the terms of insurance regarding who takes the fault in case an event occurs ( Riehl, 2018). Since no machine is perfect, accidents are still bound to occur and questions on who will be liable when an accident involving a human-driven vehicle and an autonomous vehicle occurs ( Mahdavi, Dascalescu &Bizon, 2014). Due to this, most people will find it hard getting justice relating to health and damage claims.
Conclusion
Autonomous vehicles not only pose risks to its users on board but also to other cyclists and pedestrians. The vulnerability of the vehicles to hacking activities is a great threat in society as hackers can easily hack and manipulate the vehicle and demand ransom ware from those on board.
References
Dixit, V. V., Chand, S., & Nair, D. J. (2016). Autonomous Vehicles: Disengagements, Accidents and Reaction Times. PLoS ONE, 11(12), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0168054
Mahdavi Tabatabaei, N., Dascalescu, L., & Bizon, N. (2014). Autonomous Vehicles : Intelligent Transport Systems and Smart Technologies. Hauppauge, New York: Nova Science Publishers,
Riehl, D. A. (2018). Car Minus Driver: Autonomous Vehicles Driving Regulation, Liability, and Policy. Computer & Internet Lawyer, 35(5), 1–18.
