On September 26th, 2019, with Tesla’s 10.0 software update, something that could only be imagined or seen in a James Bond movie came out: the Smart Summon. The Smart Summon is Tesla’s new autonomous parking feature which utilizing just a smartphone, one can “summon” their car from a maximum distance of 200 feet. It is crazy to imagine that this technology already exists! However, it does come with many consequences. Tesla’s new technology is still in the beta stage, often causing numerous potentially disastrous collisions in a public parking lot.
Reading about new technologies like Smart Summon, I believe that vehicles will become a hundred percent autonomous during my lifetime. Autonomous vehicles are often associated with positive ideas like progression, however, when looking more closely at these vehicles, do the negatives outweigh the positives? When preparing for the future of vehicles, consumers must be more cautious about what they are buying.
Although, human error is much more common as compared to technological error, what happens when these vehicles start acting out of line. How are we as consumers ready and prepared to react to the situation? Technology is not perfect and as we begin relying on it for even the most basic of skills–driving–what will the effects be? It is important that as we continue to buy these autonomous vehicles, we remember to not get too dependant on the technology. Self-driving cars have been created to make driving much safer, however, if we rely on the technology blindly it can lead to a much more unsafe driving situation. Everyone buying autonomous vehicles should be trained to react with malfunctions. And although by the end of my lifetime most vehicles will become a hundred percent autonomous, consumers should know how to drive safely and they should always pay attention to the road. By following these guidelines, we can minimize the risks associated with autonomous vehicles and make it worth our while!
Source: https://www.theverge.com/autonomous-cars