Illustration from FutureCar.com
Fewer Accidents Just the Beginning of Change
Author Vineeth Joel Patel writes in FutureCar.com about the coming changes for transportation worldwide. Besides “fewer accidents” point that starts most autonomous vehicle conversations, society can expect many more changes.
Fewer Car Owners. According to a recent report by NBC News, there are six ways you can expect your world to be affected by driverless vehicles of various shapes, sizes and purposes.
“We’re moving to a future where people don’t own cars,” said Dr. Daniel Sperling, director of the Institute of Transportation Studies at the University of California, Davis. “You’ll have a subscription service, maybe, that emphasizes smaller vehicles, or you might want a cheaper service where it’s a van.”
That doesn’t mean traditional cars will vanish completely off of the road. As Dr. Alain Kornhauser, director of the program in transportation at Princeton University claims individuals living in rural areas will probably hold onto their vehicles, as getting a self-driving car to their location may take too much time and cost a lot of money.
Urban Areas Will Evolve
Driverless cars will bring great changes to cities. Autonomous cars will force cities to change transportation methods, putting the focus back on pedestrians. “We’ve made the world rather unfriendly for people who are walking and biking; cars have essentially won,” said Dr. Chris Gerdes, director of the Center for Automotive Research at Stanford University. As NBC News reported, driverless vehicles won’t need as much space on the roads, allowing planners to make city roads smaller. That would open up space for more homes and pedestrians. Crossing the street would also be easier, as driverless cars would continuously be on the lookout instead of requiring pedestrians to walk the extra few blocks before the next crosswalk.
Businesses Will Come To Consumers
Forget about traveling to the mall to get clothes or the latest iPhone. Autonomous vehicles will allow companies to have mobile offices and stores that bring goods to consumers instead of the other way around. As NBC points out, mobile gyms that pull directly into your driveway and let you work out are a possibility, as are clothing store retailers that bring clothes to you to try on.
“You could try on a bunch of things you had requested, see what size works for you, and then the rest of it simply leaves at the end of your session,” said Gerdes.
The NBC News report points out three more changes we can expect in our daily lives.
Waymo image of pizza deliveries.
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