|
Technology is being introduced in a natural progression that builds upon existing technology.
Electric steering is already standard on cars because it lowers fuel consumption and cost while increasing reliability. If the car already has the means to steer itself, then adding Lane Keep Assist isn't such a huge leap. Cars already have electronic ABS which modulates braking force, so it isn't a huge leap to add automatic emergency braking. If you have automatic emergency braking, then you already have the sensors needed to maintain a safe distance when cruise control is engaged. That one is nearly free to implement.
Cars start by getting equipment that reduces cost and increases safety and reliability, and they evolve from merely increasing safety, to offloading tasks traditionally done by the driver.
Most cars now have throttle by wire, so pressing on the accelerator is merely an input to the computer telling it that we want to burn more fuel. The computer takes that suggestion into consideration of what it actually does. When I mash the pedal to the floor in snow, the car limits the power output to only the amount afforded by the grip of my tires. To my extreme dismay, my car is much better at providing maximum acceleration and grip in slippery conditions than the best I can manage with traction control turned off. I simply cannot react to a slipping tire as quickly as a computer can.
In the very near future, insurance companies will be giving drastic discounts to those that own vehicles that can emergency stop, or avoid merging into an occupied space. It will cost more to drive a fully manual vehicle than to operate one with automatic systems.
If people saw how dangerously oblivious my grandpa is when driving, you would all want him driving a vehicle that can take over to avoid a collision. He drives an off-road version of the Chevy S10 and has been in at least 3 at fault accidents in the last decade of driving. He can pass the DMV driving and vision tests, so he is safe to be on the streets according to the law.
|