Originally Posted by
buzzman
Nissan claims that by 2020 they will have a full release of their autonomous car for the everyday consumer. But they are expected to be in use to some limited extent in 5 years. There are currently autonomous cars in use for beta testing.
In all honesty, I can't wait. It will put to rest all this arguing about bad drivers, bicyclists will truly have to take responsibility for their own welfare, it will lead to major shifts in the current infrastructure and it will happen faster than we think. The automobile came onto the scene in roughly it's present form (internal combustion/mass produced) around 1907, 20 years later horse and buggies were practically a thing of the past. Technology evolves even faster now- think of the changes in computer and cell phone technology in the past 20 years.
We should save these threads for our kids and grandkids. Remember when people used to have to drive their cars and a million people a year died in accidents! "Oh, and how we used to complain about bad drivers! In my day we used to have to turn a key to start the car and steer it by hand!"
There could be some interesting infrastructure changes. Autonomous cars wouldn't need twelve foot lanes, so we gain space for other (cycling?) uses. Eventually, I imagine most folks in urban/suburban settings will cease to own their own cars and just call for them when they want them, so we gain all those parking spaces for other uses (cycling?). We may also have cameras beaming the view around blind corners to approaching cars so that they can go faster with greater safety. Well, I guess they would go just as fast as the ignorant motorists of today who outdrive their vision, but without the same level of danger.
What could go wrong? I guess we'll find out soon enough. I just have a hard time imagining it could be worse than our current situation.