At first, I believe, that car software will try to mimic humans while staying clear of other erratic human behavior. It will also mean learning nuances of different municipalities road construction idiosyncracies. At first, this will seem like an AMAZING success. This will be followed by a few major accidents killing 50 or more people all at once. The news will be jumping all over the stories and politicians will be calling for more regulations. Then the pressure will really be on the car manufacturers to do a spectacular job. This will lead to standardized testing.
During the next phase, autonomous cars will become amazingly safe. People who look at the math will start pushing for outlawing human drivers. Moreover, the car manufacturers will suggest that without humans on the road we could improve safety and efficiency by 3X. For example I could see cars packing together, driving at 90 miles per hour with only one centimeter between them all.
At this point, you will start to see many changes in laws and businesses. Drinking and driving laws will start to change. Wet bars, desks, and big screen TVs will be what people want in a new car. Wealthy children may get their own car to take them to school. Less well to do will use services like Uber rather than owning their own car.
I think airport parking will be a thing of the past. Gas stations will only be on interstates. McDonald's will be the largest vehicle charging company. Rental properties might need to redo their electrical, giving some of their residents chargers.
During the next phase, autonomous cars will become amazingly safe. People who look at the math will start pushing for outlawing human drivers. Moreover, the car manufacturers will suggest that without humans on the road we could improve safety and efficiency by 3X. For example I could see cars packing together, driving at 90 miles per hour with only one centimeter between them all.
At this point, you will start to see many changes in laws and businesses. Drinking and driving laws will start to change. Wet bars, desks, and big screen TVs will be what people want in a new car. Wealthy children may get their own car to take them to school. Less well to do will use services like Uber rather than owning their own car.
I think airport parking will be a thing of the past. Gas stations will only be on interstates. McDonald's will be the largest vehicle charging company. Rental properties might need to redo their electrical, giving some of their residents chargers.