A new report "Self-Driving Car: The Next Revolution" determined that more drivers (the younger ones) don’t care as much about the driving experience and are focused on getting from one point to another. This report means that self-driven cars may soon be seen widespread. The study was conducted by researchers at consulting firm KPMG and the Center for Automotive Research located in Ann Arbor, Mich. Drivers are believed to be more willing to make the change to self-driving vehicles because of the ease in moving around and the fact that time and money are saved. However, the report can’t say for certain yet when this day will come. Report author Gary Silberg, KPMG’s national automotive industry leader, said that the researchers can’t say when drivers will be able to watch a movie, browse, or read e-mails while driving to work. But then, Silberg is confident that this time will come sooner instead of later, providing an estimate of 5 or 10 years from today. The factors cited by this study include a steep decline in technology costs and a very favorable regulatory climate. Vehicles could already parallel park on their own, help drivers out when a vehicle drifts out of its lane, and apply the brakes when sensors find that a crash is about to happen and the driver hasn’t made a move yet. [source: Automotive News - sub. required]
Self-driven cars era may not be far off
by Andrew Christian, Email, 13 Aug, 2012
