The world of self-driving cars

Imagine taking a ride in a car that drives itself. Sit down, relax and watch your favorite DVD on your way to work. Or maybe you would like to read your favorite book (naturally, the electronic version of it). Texting your girlfriend in your car will be considered a completely harmless activity. No police officer would have the audacity to pull you over for talking on the cellphone. In fact, traffic cops, speeding tickets and the hopelessly special people who cut you off will be a thing of the past. However, the biggest benefit is the sheer number of lives that will be saved. In 2010, there were 32,885 traffic-related fatalities in the US alone, overwhelming majority of them due to human error. Once, a driverless automobile system is implemented, this number will practically reduced to zero.

Also, this change will immensely affect the infrastructure. The roads will be much less crowded not only thanks to telecommuting (more on telecommuting in the future), but also because fewer people will own cars, instead preferring to use driverless taxis. And why not? No need to change the oil regularly, make sure that there are enough PSI in the tires and other delightful automotive maintenance activities. Simply place an order for a taxi online, and your ride will be waiting for you within minutes. The ride is going to be cheap, because there would be no taxi driver to pay. And once you arrive at your destination, you won't need to worry about finding a parking space. That means no need for huge parking structures in our cities, or even regular open air parking lots. Garages will only be useful for starting bands.  Many would simply opt for having extra space in the house instead of a garage.

How soon can we expect self-driving cars? According to the Google Car creator Sebastian Thurn,  In 20 years from now driveless cars will be optional, and in 50 years from now human drivers will be completely phased out. I say the sooner the better!