preview

Marketing Vehicles With Autonomous Abilities

Good Essays

As humans, we are inclined to fear the unknown. With a world advancing around us at a rate faster than we can grasp, certain technologies will be scrutinized. We are stepping into an era of automation, where our suspicions of machines taking over our lives become heightened. It is to be expected that we would question a technology to which we plan to entrust our lives. We already utilize vehicles as a form of transportation, but what if vehicles are able to maneuver the roadways without the assistance of a human? This is quickly becoming reality as companies, such as Google and Tesla, are marketing vehicles with autonomous abilities. To be autonomous, a vehicle must be capable of performing the basic driving tasks of a human, but without hands on the steering wheel or a foot on the gas. When a vehicle is built for autonomous driving, it is equipped with GPS, ultrasonic sensors, radar, and cameras. These tools can sense the lane boundaries and other vehicles or objects. Essentially, in its current stage, self-driving vehicles possess a radar-guided style cruise control, meant exclusively to aid drivers on roadways. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) published statistics in January 2016 showing that fatal crashes are in an upward trend. The vast majority of accidents happen because of driver error; such as fatigue, not paying-attention, and slow reaction time. In the case of an automated vehicle, there would never be an inattentive moment, because

Get Access