Scientists predict in the near future cars will be driven by computers, not people. Why? Do you think it is a positive or negative development?

In the upcoming years, cars and other vehicles are projected to be driven automatically by computers. From my perspective, this phenomenon brings more advantages than disadvantages. First, there are several driving forces behind this forecast. Steadily increasing budget from the government and giant corporations has brought about groundbreaking advances in robotics technology. The last few decades have witnessed robots gradually takes over manufacturing jobs previously done by human. Soon enough, automation will become a ubiquitous presence in our daily life, handling a variety of tasks including driving. In addition, given that traffic accidents are on the rise, especially in densely populated cities, self-driving cars could be the answer to reduce fatalities. Simply by taking human emotions and errors out of the equation, autopilot mode could indeed save millions of lives from car crash incidence. Having said that, the benefits of autonomous cars certainly outweigh the drawbacks. Operated with a high degree of precision, self-driving vehicles can greatly reduce average commuter times in metropolitan areas, offering many spin-off advantages from well-being to boosting the economy. Besides, with driverless cars able to access up-to-the-minute data to help monitor traffic, as well as digital maps and other tools, they could determine the fastest, most efficient route possible. All of this will result in less congestion, less time-consuming and fuel waste. In short, growing level of automation in this modern era is inevitable. More specifically, the emergence of self-driving technology is around the corner and despite initial concerns, this should be perceived as a positive trend.