Driven by the Future
Cars, Driving, and How Autonomous Cars Will Steer Society in New Directions
Make no mistake: autonomous cars are coming, and they're bringing change faster than a caffeinated cat. I’m not entirely convinced I’ll see them zipping about everywhere in my lifetime, but I’m fairly certain my kids will. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if, one day, the only vehicles allowed on public roads and highways are autonomous. More on that revolution later.
Whenever this reality parks itself in our lives, it will come with monumental changes. Most of these changes will be good—some even brilliant—but a few might leave us scratching our heads. For starters, let’s talk safety. Autonomous cars promise to seriously reduce road fatalities. Drunk driving? Gone. Distracted driving? Ancient history. Stupid driving? Banished to the archives of human error. Fewer accidents mean fewer trips to body shops, which, sadly, might take a fair number of those businesses out of commission. On the bright side, fewer fender benders also mean we’ll need less car insurance—a development I doubt many will lose sleep over.
Law enforcement will also get a break. With nobody speeding, driving drunk, or cruising around in a haze of suspicious-smelling smoke, police cars might become less about traffic stops and more about, well, actual policing. Imagine that.
But here’s where things get interesting: we may not even own cars anymore. Picture this: you summon an autonomous vehicle the same way you hail an Uber today. Why buy and maintain a car when you can just summon your next ride with the swipe of a finger? Think of the possibilities: your garage could finally host your long-dreamed-of craft beer operation or that carpentry workshop you’ve been eyeing on YouTube. And here’s a fun thought—if you brew that beer, you can drink it while riding. No harm, no foul when you’re not the one driving.
Of course, these autonomous cars will likely be electric. By the time this self-driving utopia arrives, gas taxes will be a relic, and our government will need to find new revenue streams. But it doesn’t take a fortune teller to predict electricity will become the new cash cow. So don’t expect vehicle operating costs to plummet. Oh, and forget about owning a gas-powered car for daily use—those might be relegated to racetracks, where enthusiasts can drive them to their heart’s content without disrupting the autonomous flow.
Speaking of flow, these cars will communicate with each other and a central AI brain—let’s call that brain CAIC (Central Artificial Intelligence Center). CAIC will handle all the logistics, while the cars themselves gossip like old friends about turns and safe distances. The car-to-car chatter will mostly be a backup since CAIC will already know everything. (And let’s face it, CAIC will probably have a better memory than most of us.)
A funny thing, when it comes to CAIC and autonomous driving, the term "autonomous" might be somewhat misleading. These vehicles may drive themselves, but they won’t truly operate independently.
autonomous /ô-tŏn′ə-məs/
adjective
Not controlled by others or by outside forces; independent.
"an autonomous judiciary; an autonomous division of a corporate conglomerate."
Independent in mind or judgment; self-directed.
Independent of the laws of another state or government; self-governing.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
Anyway, for city dwellers already accustomed to Uber and Lyft, this transition will feel natural. But rural and suburban areas? That’s where the system might hit a few potholes. In the city, an autonomous car could reach you in minutes; in rural areas, it might take unacceptably longer. A hybrid system might be the answer—where people in these regions lease autonomous vehicles and keep them at home. Sorry, distant urbanites and ruralists, no brewery in the garage just yet.
And then there’s the matter of efficiency. Autonomous cars could easily adopt ride-sharing by default, picking up multiple passengers heading in the same direction. Of course, if you’re not one for sharing your ride, companies could upsell you a private experience—for a price, naturally. The possibilities are endless.
In the end, autonomous cars will reshape how we live, travel, and even think about ownership. It’ll be a brave new world, one where garages might hold hobbies instead of vehicles, and roads might be safer than ever before. But let’s hope we still find room for a little joy in the journey—preferably with a cold craft beer in hand.