Are self-driving cars the future?

by Derek Eastwood, business development manager at Hussey Fraser Solicitors in Dublin

Autonomous technology is driving some of the biggest disruptions in the motoring industry. The past decade has seen some advancements in the area and many experts are now suggesting that a driverless future could be within reach. Despite this, consumers around the world remain skeptical. In fact, a global survey by Forbes found that just 13% of drivers would use a self-driving car.

For the majority of respondents, safety was the biggest concern. Yet, 81% of car accidents are caused by human error. Therefore, introducing more driverless vehicles onto our roads may in fact result in a significant reduction of car crashes. According to the Tesla founder Elon Musk, autonomous vehicles represent “the natural extension of active safety”.

Driverless cars have countless applications that could be hugely beneficial in terms of saving consumers time and money. For example, McKinsey estimate that commuters worldwide could save a combined 1 billion hours every day once autonomous vehicles go mainstream. What’s more, they could also improve the quality of life for many as they would enable those with diminished driving ability to safely use a car.