Journalist Eric Newcomer wrote in the Free Press: There was a time when I believed self-driving cars should comply with airplane standards. Every mistake must be strictly understood and no human death can be tolerated. But my views have evolved over time, as human drivers continue to kill tens of thousands of people a year. We certainly need a solution that is meaningfully better than human drivers, but we shouldn't wait for perfection before we start removing dangerous human drivers from the roads.
Lost in all the noise about automation and the tyranny of big technology is the fact that self-driving cars are an attempt to solve a very serious problem. Deaths from traffic accidents are the leading cause of death for people between the ages of 1 and 54 in the United States. Approximately 40,000 people die in car accidents each year in the United States, and about one-third of those deaths are due to drunk driving. Humans have a natural, albeit irrational, bias toward the status quo. We tend to believe that there are good reasons why things are the way they are. But, of course, technology has already significantly improved human life and longevity. Why stop now, when more powerful computer chips and sophisticated artificial intelligence models are opening up new possibilities?
[…] Putting aside simmering hostility toward technology and private capital and concerns about job losses, the left's most credible objections to self-driving cars are that the introduction of self-driving cars would mean widening and sprawling roads, and public transportation projects There are concerns that this means weakening support for the government. But self-driving cars and public transportation don't have to be at odds. It can meet your different needs. Self-driving cars are being introduced in San Francisco through a ride-hailing program, reducing the need for personal car ownership. If self-driving cars can be put into practical use, self-driving buses on general routes should become even easier. And contrary to the perception that self-driving cars are being introduced unilaterally by tech billionaires, government officials representing the people have given Alphabet Inc.'s Waymo a license to operate. Our roads and cars are highly regulated. While self-driving car projects by Uber and, more recently, GM-owned Cruise have been derailed by single incidents, human drivers continue to kill tens of thousands of people a year without hindrance.
