Essay Example on Self-Driving Cars: The Future of Automobile Technology

Over the last decades, the automobile industry has advanced technologically beyond our imagination after the introduction of the automated driving systems (Wadud et al. 6). Base on the current state of innovation and momentum of progress, it's expected that in the coming years that there will be the fully automated cars on the streets and highways of the nation. The success behind autonomous vehicles is the fitted sensors and processors that have replaced the human interface in vehicles such that they can drive themselves with ease. Currents estimations predict that in the year 2030, almost 60% of all vehicle son roads will be self-driving (County Management Association 1). The change in the mode of transportation leaves the local community led with administrators, policy-makers, and planners with the responsibility of enhancing the local infrastructure and regulations to accumulate the new motor vehicle technology. In the end, the local community has a role to play in preparation for the commencement of large-scale use of autonomous vehicles.

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The race for autonomous vehicles (AV) is on the run as famous automobile producers are heavily investing in the electrified and self-driving technology which somehow seems safe and environmentally friendly (Kaur and Rampersad 88). Companies such as Honda, Volvo, Hyundai, Toyota, Nissan, and Volkswagen have announced their interest in autonomous cars in the incoming years (Greenhouse 1). This implies that at least a significant portion of the population will have automated cars from semi-automated to fully-automated. As the long-term benefits of the self-driving vehicles runs-in such as safer operation, enhanced traffic flow and being environmentally friendly, there is a degree of adverse effects on the cars on public safety since the vehicles rely on an automated system and programs that are prone to failure and errors(Gruel, and Stanford 18). It's here where the local administrator has a role to play in enhancing public safety by improving the road signals, pedestrian pathways, and accurate lineage.

In achieving the dream of safe use of autonomous cars, the local authority should plan as a proactive mechanism of enhancing the use of autonomous vehicles by planning the autonomous vehicle economy (Gruel and Stanford 19). The AV economy is allocation of funds and revenue for improving infrastructure and enhancing road safety such that the use of the autonomous vehicle will be effective without any potential risk on public safety. A national Report on League of Cities indicates that over 40% of cities have put up a budget for self-driving vehicles under their long-term transportation plan (County Management Association, 2). Although the autonomous cars are always put in the context of large commercial cities, its use is more significant in satellite cities, suburbs and small cities as it will open up the areas for commercial business and access to better healthcare. Equally, self-driving cars are needed for long distance moving to ease the workload of driving (Wadud et al. 03). Hence, the local community needs to enhance infrastructure and policies to ensure that the vehicles reach remote areas to benefit the locals. The local administrators, policymakers, and planners need to consider the following areas so that they support the utilization of autonomous vehicles.

First, the local government needs to address the existing built infrastructure and environment. One of the most significant advantages of AVs is that they move on roads that normal vehicles use, but the roads are to be in good condition for them to move swiftly. The cars only needs special sensors, cameras, and processors to inference the distance between vehicles and other objects effectively without causing collision (Yang et al. 197). Since the cars use signals and processors, the roads need to be appropriately maintained and have proper signage such that it can interpret it efficiently. Also, the local government needs to control the right access lanes of zoning for AVs. The municipalities need to redesign the parking spaces such that drives hailed with demands that need to move on higher speed lanes than the traffic flow can change zones to suit their requirements. Similarly, the self-driving vehicles use satellite-based sensors for communication; the local policymakers will need to implement comprehensive pole policy for 5G sensors such that electric and telephone lines won't be overburdened (Gruel and Stanford 21). Finally, the pedestrian and bicycle traffic will have to be separated from normal highways since they may put the AVs' traffic movement at a standstill.

Secondly, the local community needs to put in some policy considerations. The policies need to be evaluated in terms of the speed limits, certifications, and permits which need to be encouraged, regulated or be restricted to suit community needs (Yang et al. 200). This implies that states will need to have a local data collection and sharing platform before AVs are introduced. Moreover, the community will need to implement incentives that discourage congestion and promote shared ridership. Similarly, the administrators need to develop a framework for pilot projects and access to information for the assessment of autonomous vehicle proposals.

Moreover, the local community needs to plan a budget and workforce for AVs. With the adoption of AVs in the community, local governments will endure significant losses in terms of revenues charged on the traditional mode of transport such as parking fee, emission taxes, speed limits, and illegal parking (County Management Association 1). The impacts call for immediate planning for the alternative sources of taxes to replace the lost revenue to boost the nature of the local budget. The ride-sharing and fleet of self-driving vehicles will reduce the number of cars in towns such that taxes collected from penalties and taxations are reduced. Also, the automobile technology results in loss of the source of livelihood for drivers who man the traditional vehicles and police who control traffic in town centers. Thus, the local community needs to prepare to accumulate such repercussions.

Finally, the community has to enhance public outreach and education. The transformation of the automobile to AV technology will require a consensus between the policymakers, authority, automobile manufacturers, and the public (County Management Association 1). All individuals should be involved, and their inputs are put into consideration before full adoption of self-driving vehicles as the changes affect the community in many ways(Greenhouse 5). Since the AVs are likely to increase the parking spaces through shared rides, there is a lot of spaces that will be left in town for construction. In the end, more housing space might be created for the erection of urban houses which might change the social structure of the community. All these changes are under the management of local government which needs the preparation.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the local community has a significant role in laying a foundation for infrastructure and policies for the transformation of the transportation system to new autonomous vehicles. They are primary stakeholders in enabling the utilization of AVs not only in big cities but also in small towns where its use is vast. As such, the local government has to plan by enhancing the built infrastructure, policies, budget, and promoting the outreach program for the successful transition of the automobile from the traditional system. Therefore, the success of preparation for AV depends on the efforts of the local community rather than individual and specific parties.

Works Cited

County Management Association. "Preparing For Autonomous Vehicles Is A Local Government Reality". Medium, 2018, https://medium.com/@webanalytics_31234/preparing-for-autonomous-vehicles-is-a-local-government-reality-a81a2b10f0a9. Accessed 5 May 2019.

Greenhouse, Steven. "Driverless Future?". The American Prospect, 2017, https://prospect.org/article/driverless-future. Accessed 5 May 2019.

Gruel, Wolfgang, and Joseph M. Stanford. "Assessing The Long-Term Effects Of Autonomous Vehicles: A Speculative Approach". Transportation Research Procedia, vol 13, 2016, pp. 18-29. Elsevier BV, doi:10.1016/j.trpro.2016.05.003.

Kaur, Kanwaldeep, and Giselle Rampersad. "Trust In Driverless Cars: Investigating Key Factors Influencing The Adoption Of Driverless Cars". Journal Of Engineering And Technology Management, vol 48, 2018, pp. 87-96. Elsevier BV, doi:10.1016/j.jengtecman.2018.04.006. Accessed 5 May 2019.

Wadud, Zia et al. "Help Or Hindrance? The Travel, Energy And Carbon Impacts Of Highly Automated Vehicles". Transportation Research Part A: Policy And Practice, vol 86, 2016, pp. 1-18. Elsevier BV, doi:10.1016/j.tra.2015.12.001. Accessed 5 May 2019.

Yang, Hong et al. "Impact Of Connected Vehicles On Mitigating Secondary Crash Risk". International Journal Of Transportation Science And Technology, vol 6, no. 3, 2017, pp. 196-207. Elsevier BV, doi:10.1016/j.ijtst.2017.07.007. Accessed 5 May 2019