I sometimes wonder about the future of technology in our generation.

Everything is either getting bigger or smaller depending on user preference.

This is actually quite exciting.

The advancements in technology include how we take care of patients in a hospital or

even how we do our taxes.

The advancements in technology also include how we drive or more specifically

how we can be driven from point A to point B in the possible future.

This being said will cars actually start driving people around to their destinations?

What advantages does this have?

What safety concerns should be addressed?

Is the level of automation on self-driving vehicles manageable depending on the

situation?

These questions need to be answered before cars start driving people around.

The advantages of having an automobile that can handle the tasks of driving its

passengers from point A to point B is that passengers could focus more on other tasks.

This could end up being a huge time saver depending on what tasks the occupants of

the vehicle need to complete.

Imagine being able to have a business meeting in a vehicle while on your way to

the airport or even home.

Another advantage of having a car that can drive itself is the actual parking of the

vehicle.

I know from personal experience that I’m not the best parallel parker.

With a car that could do this for me I could find a parking space much easier and faster than I could if I had to parallel park myself.

Even with the possible advantages of future cars we must also consider what risks they

possess.

The first risk that comes to mind is the following of multiple safety maneuvers that

drivers must perform every time they get behind the wheel.

How do we make sure that these self driving automobiles are properly able to do such

tasks?

The next concern is user friendliness of the vehicle.

What if a driver needs to take control of the car due to an emergency such as a

malfunction of one or more of the vehicles driving functions?

To answer these questions the makers of such vehicles such as Google have addressed concerns with 5 levels of vehicle automation.

With level 0 drivers would be in full control of the vehicle.

Level 1 would just assist in braking when needed.

Level 2 would be able to park the vehicle.

Levels 3 and 4 cede all tasks to the vehicle.

However, even with these safety features extreme levels of testing need to be

completed to ensure everyone’s safety.