Self-driving cars may be here sooner than expected

The future of self-driving cars may arrive sooner than expected.

Ford said last week that the company plans to mass-produce fully autonomous vehicles by 2021.

Other automakers and tech companies have begun testing self-driving cars  that provide a level of autonomy, within limits, while still allowing the driver to take over if necessary. These kinds of vehicles are equipped with an “autopilot” mode, or crash-avoidance technology.

The cars Ford expects to introduce in the next five years, however,  will be truly driverless, and will have no steering wheel, gas pedal, or brake pedal.

Self-Driving Cars and Safety

Ford proposes that these vehicles will revolutionize transportation and improve safety on the road. Critics of self-driving cars are concerned that there are factors that an autonomous vehicle simply cannot predict or respond to, and that the technology may be vulnerable to glitches or hacking.

Still, Ford maintains that these vehicles will reduce the number of road fatalities that occur each year. Of the 35,000 traffic deaths in the U.S. last year, more than 90% were caused by human error. Makers of self-driving cars hope to reduce this number by taking the possibility for human error – distraction, intoxication, falling asleep at the wheel, speeding – out of the equation. However, the self-driving cars Ford envisions for the near future will be designed for use in urban environments rather than the open highway.

As new technology develops in the auto industry, the car accident lawyers at Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys will always remain committed to serving our clients’ needs and improving safety on our nation’s roads. If you or a loved one have been hurt in a car accident, contact us for a free consultation.