In the future, all cars, buses and trucks will be driverless. The only people travelling inside these vehicles will be passengers. Do you think the advantages of driverless vehicles outweigh the disadvantages?

Driverless cars are in their infancy;

however

, developments in the field are quickly progressing, and what was once an idealistic vision of futuristic sci-fi movies has been closer to reality than ever before. In my perspective,

although

autonomous vehicles may pose some disadvantages, their capability of providing safety and ameliorating several socio-environmental issues is more prominent. On one hand, there are possible drawbacks related to the computer systems that power autonomous vehicles. The first issue is hacking, springing from the fact that data,

such

as traffic flows, road congestions or optimal routes, that assist the auto-pilot systems, is constantly collected via the global networks - the Internet and an array of land-sat satellites.

Therefore

, the risk of privacy exposure is present. Both the car, driver and passengers are vulnerable to hackers as they can trace destinations and steal personal information. Another concern is the unreliability of computer systems. Computers do crash, and, unlike a desk-based operator, any malfunction in a car can lead to catastrophic consequences whilst moving on a busy road or highway.

Nevertheless

, not only are mentioned disadvantages minor, but the rate of occurrence is

also

significantly low. Numerous advantages that automation offers are far beyond that extent.

Along with

the convenience of being driven around, autonomous cars can eradicate human errors; more than 90% of road accidents come from human behaviours,

such

as speeding, drowsiness or impairment

due to

alcohol and drugs.

While

humans are fallible, reckless and distracted, AI and clever algorithms are not, providing safer rides for passengers.

Additionally

, AI can calculate optimal driving courses in real time to reduce bottleneck problems in high-density urban centres and

besides

, consecutively cut down on fuel consumption. The cost of commuting is

also

slashed remarkably. In conclusion, autonomous vehicles’ potential is more visible despite some disadvantages. They will drastically improve humanity’s life quality in the future, which include increasing safety, declining traffic jams and lessening human carbon footprints on the Earth.