Self driving cars will have a limited usage

Have we thought about the other implications like hacking. A recent report entitled Tracking & Hacking: Security & Privacy Gaps Put American Drivers at Risk shows wireless vehicles are vulnerable to security breaches and privacy intrusions. Staff working for United States senator Ed Markey, a member of the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, collected information about wireless security from 16 auto makers, among them BMW, Chrysler, Ford, and General Motors. They found that almost 100 per cent of vehicles were vulnerable to being hacked. Though it hasn’t happened yet, studies have shown show that hackers can control vehicles remotely. A crook with the right tools and the wrong attitude could steal personal data and would be able to – among other things – cause a car to accelerate, turn, brake, sound its horn, and turn headlights on and off. This is scary at the least and a nightmare at the best.

Customers lack of interest

The University of Michigan Sustainable Worldwide Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) is founded on the mission to address transportation’s future safety, energy, and environmental issues. The report found that most commuters prefer no self-driving capability, a drastic change from a 2014 report in which a majority of respondents expressed a desire to have the technology in their vehicles (although they don’t want to pay for it). While this shift could be attributed to various factors, many have recently communicated concern about the technology’s reliability.

Another concern, which the institute reported on in April 2015, is the effect of self-driving vehicles on motion sickness. According to the report, motion sickness would be more of an issue in self-driving vehicles than in conventional vehicles. The three main issues contributing to this, include conflict between vestibular and visual inputs, an inability to anticipate motion direction, and a lack of control over direction.