Taking the Driver Out of the Car --- Why robocars, and not high-speed rail, could revolutionize transportation in the next decade

The idea of fully automated, “driverless cars,” is certainly not new. In 1940, the fantasy first became popular and later even influenced the drive behind the creation of the Interstate Highway System under President Eisenhower (1). As evidenced by recent movies like IRobot, popular culture has even brought to the idea to the mainstream. How close is the realization of this dream? A recent article from the Wall Street Journal indicates that the world of computer controlled transportation could be on the horizon.
In 2007 at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Urban Challenge, the technology behind driverless cars reached its high-water mark when six fully automated vehicles successfully navigated an urban environment with other vehicles present obeying all traffic rules and regulations (1) In response to this event, General Motors’ Vice President of research and development, Lawrence Burns, predicted that driverless cars would be a reality within the next ten years, pointing to solely legal and bureaucratic obstacles as the inhibitors to immediate production (1).
The article points to the benefits of driverless travel. Safer highways, less traffic deaths, fewer bottlenecks and faster transportation are simply some of these improvements in transportation resultant from this leap in technology (1). This also will extend the ability to travel to everyone, licensed or not. Some say that this would be as revolutionary in its effects as the Ford Model T (1). If that were the case, the effects on modern business could be monumental.
Highway throughput could be potentially tripled (1). Just as technology has been applied in the business world to increase efficiency and reduce cost, the application of computerized transportation could maximize society’s efficiency on a grand scale. What would this mean for productivity? If traffic moved that much faster on national interstates people could significantly increase their productive time by spending less time commuting. Companies could also draw the best employees from a greater radius around their central location. The manufacturing industry would realize huge cost reductions and increases in efficiency. Without having to pay the salaries of drivers, or worry about the premium of insuring employees, not only would companies reduce their cost structure and increase their bottom-line; customers could receive their goods much faster. With reduced costs, companies could ship their goods to even more remote destinations, broadening their customer base.
With such drastic change, however, consequences do exist. These automated cars are incredibly complex in their operation. One of the test models, shown in this video from MSNBC (3), has a radar device, cameras, motion sensors, and computer equipment that occupy much of the cockpit. Traditional maintenance would no longer be a quick oil change or a rotation of the tires. Instead, the malfunction of one of these many systems could prove costly and difficult to fix. This seems to indicate that even an automotive mechanic would need some sort of technical education and familiarity with complex software and hardware systems in order to conduct their job.
There are other sacrifices too to developments in technology such as this. Many people enjoy the liberating feeling of piloting their own car. For many, driving is not so much as reaching a destination as it is a unique, exciting experience where control is the source of this feeling of freedom. This control and experience would be completely relinquished with a future mandate of automated vehicles. As Mr. Burns has said, GM can build these cars with the technology it has today, but the real question is “what does society want to do with it?”(2) There may not even be a demand for this kind of technology just yet, as people may be hesitant to relinquish such a big part of their lives to technology.
As complex software and hardware systems work their way into every facet of human life, including something as mundane as transportation it begs the question “as a society, are we too complex?” In the business community, it seems at least fundamental knowledge of information systems would be a prerequisite to being able to find a job. With developments of complex technology like computer driven automobiles, would everyone need familiarity with these components? Recently, malfunctions in Toyota computer systems have resulted in multiple highway deaths and a national fear of “unintended acceleration” which only raises other fears and questions. Imagine a car that has a software or hardware malfunction on the highway, yet it has no manual controls for the passenger to take control and to avert disaster. Without knowledge of how the system works, passengers would be helpless to consequences. There are obvious benefits to such huge improvements as the result of technology but as new innovation continues at the speed of light in the Information Age it may be prudent to slow ourselves down and wonder about the implications. I think as a human society we need to ask ourselves “What are the drawbacks to total reliance upon technology?”

(1) Randal O'Toole. (2010, March 20). Taking the Driver Out of the Car --- Why robocars, and not high-speed rail, could revolutionize transportation in the next decade. Wall Street Journal (Eastern Edition), p. W.3. Retrieved March 23, 2010, from Wall Street Journal. (Document ID: 1987715511).

Link to article: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703580904575131511589391150.html?KEYWORDS=Driverless+cars

(2) Tom Krisher. (2008, January 6). GM Researching Driverless Cars. The Associated Press. Retrieved March 23rd, 2010, from MSNBC.com.

Link to article:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22529906/

(3) Link to Video of Fully Automated Chevy Tahoe:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22529906/#hybrid_video