The sight of self-driving cars has become common throughout the Bay Area, even found roaming the streets of Millbrae. Google’s autonomous cars, Waymos, have been the pioneers of this movement since their launch in 2024. However, safety has always been an overarching concern for these vehicles, as they aren’t fully developed and are still finding ways to improve technology. When conducting a search for drunken drivers in San Bruno, police officers spotted a Waymo making an illegal U-turn in front of them. This raises the question: are driverless cars really safe?
After seeing this, the officers pulled the car over, but there was no driver to cite, so no ticket was issued. When asked about the danger of self-driving cars, English teacher Kelly Alberta states, “I think they’re probably safer to drive around than most human drivers.” From a statistical standpoint, the vast majority of car accidents are due to human error, while autonomous vehicle accidents vary in data. Even with a higher crash rate, reports show that driverless cars have a lower rate of serious injuries.
Nonetheless, people believe that driverless cars are dystopian, threatening to replace humans. Alberta comments that it does concern her that driverless vehicles could be taking an individual’s job, like Uber or Lyft.
She remembered, “When I first saw them, I thought it was so outlandish, and now I see around me more and more of what that is, and that’s where we’re headed,” highlighting the new age of technology that is approaching faster than we think. “It’s a lot like dystopic novels, things that we thought could never be possible are happening right in front of us,” Alberta adds.
Many are questioning the reliability of this new technology, declaring that self-driving cars will take over. Driverless vehicles may seem eerie, but others may argue that they are convenient for transportation. This poses the debate of whether or not we are losing humanity, or if society isn’t ready to move on from tradition just yet.
The discussion of the safety of autonomous cars is and will continue to be an ongoing topic in our modern day agenda. I think they are very useful for transportation, but shouldn’t be on the road if not fully developed. However, artificial intelligence isn’t perfect and still has a lot of room for improvement. As driverless cars become more and more common, the public’s opinions keep growing. While people might not want to believe it, these vehicles are a major step in future technology. And they are not the only ones causing accidents, as human drivers are not any better. I feel that we need to understand that humans are a part of the problem as well. So, what do you think: are self-driving cars really safe?
