Road Masters Driving School

There have been a number of media reports about the development of driverless cars in recent years. The technological experts at Google have been busy honing a fleet of driverless vehicles and carrying out tests on the roads of America. It has been predicted that the UK’s driverless car industry will be worth £900bn by 2025. However, there is still some considerable scepticism and fear over the safety of these autonomous vehicles.

Reasons For Concern

It is questionable whether people will ever have complete faith in completely autonomous technology. Recent road tests have involved the use of slow moving vehicles. People have been happy to hitch rides aboard the self-driving Meridian shuttle at London’s North Greenwich Plaza. However, it is doubtful whether they would be prepared to ride at speeds of up to 70mph along the A-roads and motorways.

The vehicle manufacturers have given a number of reassurances regarding the safety of their driverless models. They have integrated advanced laser sensors to minimise the risk of accidents. Computer vision and GPS tracking technologies have been included to ensure that the autonomous cars stick to established road safety rules and maintain appropriate speeds. However, it’s likely to be some time before drivers are prepared to relinquish total control.

Potential Benefits

There would be some notable benefits if the general public were to adopt driverless technology. It would be possible to complete urgent work and use mobile phones during the daily commute. There would be no need to spend vast sums on driving lessons. Some of the leading insurance companies have even claimed that they’d reduce premium prices given the relative safety of autonomous cars. However, motoring expert Greame Trudgill said, “It’s possible that premiums for these cars will be even higher, especially if drivers of the future – used to driving semi-controlled cars – lose the skills we have today”

A Matter Of Debate

Of course we are some way from the widespread adoption of driverless vehicles. It is still worth taking Road Masters driving lessons in Exeter for the assurance of enhanced safety behind the wheel. Driverless cars may even be consigned to the same dustbin of history as the ill fated segway and monowheel. If you have any other opinions about this hot topic then please get in touch with Road Masters.