Whether you like it or not, the fact of the matter is, automated vehicles are the future. The U.S and Uk have been investing heavily in making the driverless car dream a reality. And countries like Japan – which has one of the world’s fastest-ageing demographic and struggles with a shortage of drivers in rural areas and an increase in the number of road accidents involving older motorists – have also jumped on the bandwagon. In fact, Japan just greenlighted a self-driving taxi service in Tokyo earlier this year. It is speculated that this is in preparation of the 2020 Summer Olympics. But before we jump ahead of ourselves, there’s still a long way to go.

Factors To Be Considered

When talking about automated vehicles, it is important to note that, for self-driving vehicles to become mainstream, a lot of other factors need to be taken into consideration as well. For driverless cars to integrate into our lives, we need to reinvent, tweak and reconfigure many other aspects of how our society functions.  

Infrastructure

The primary consideration is, of course, the road infrastructure. Our current infrastructure will not work well with automated vehicles. So, this means a complete overhaul of our present road infrastructure is necessary for us to welcome driverless cars into our lives. Since driverless cars will scan/read traffic signals and road markings, those will also have to be updated to ensure there’s no room for confusion/misintepretation.

The Human Element

Right now, driverless cars that are being tested require a backup human driver- to intervene and take over control whenever needed. The human element needs to become unecessary, if we want self-driving cars to become the norm. An automated car should be able to make clear decisions that minimise the need for human assistance in any form. And we’re still a long way off from that.

Wireless Connectivity

Wireless connectivity will play a very crucial role when it comes to self-driving vehicles. Cars will need to receive and process data in realtime. What this means is that wireless connectivity needs to be fast, efficient and a 100% reliable. Countries like Australia, where wireless connectivity needs to be improved, will have to play catch up with the U.S and UK if they’re to join the driverless revolution.

So, how long till self-driving vehicles become mainstream? Well, that depends. In countries like Japan and the U.S, driverless vehicles may become quite common in five years. Whereas in countries like Australia, it might take close to ten years for dirverless cars to hit the roads.

This article is publsihed by Paul Car Removal Sydney.