Self-driving cars have been a popular image in movies and TV shows. But Google engineers have brought the dream into reality. They’ve already tested fully-functioning self-driving car over 200,000 miles in California and Nevada.
According to Tyler Cowen with the New York Times, Americans spend an average of 100 hours sitting in traffic each year. If self-driving cars are ever mass-produced, it would be possible to create a platooning effect, meaning multiple cars drive very close together and behave as one unit. The cars communicating and reacting with each other could potentially decrease highway accidents.
Google reports the car uses lasers, radars and cameras to analyze its surrounding faster than humans can. It also uses its computerized maps to see road signs, traffic signals and make alternative routes. In addition, Google stated that the car learns the details of the road after driving it multiple times. Cars that drive themselves have the potential to eliminate the leading cause of accidents, human error.
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