Scientists predict that in the near future cars will be driven by computers, not people. What might be the reasons for this? Would this be a positive or negative development? Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge and experience. v.1

Not so long ago, the idea of driverless cars was dismissed as fantasy; however, rapid progress has been made in automotive technology, largely due to the involvement of Google, and, furthermore, scientists are convinced that within the next decade motorized vehicles will be computerized. I am undecided whether this would be beneficial or not, and will, therefore, examine both pros and cons in this essay. Admittedly, it could be advantageous to have autonomous cars. First and foremost, from the safety perspective, drivers occasionally suffer from fatigue, lack of concentration and poor judgement, which can lead to fatal accidents. Having cars powered by robots, these factors would be removed. Another significant argument in favour is that this would free up time to do other things, for instance, working, reading or just relaxing. A final issue worthy of consideration relates to the idea that those who have difficulties with driving, such as disabled people and older citizens would be able to experience the freedom of travelling by car. Despite these advantages, the introduction of automated cars could pose some problems. The infrastructure would need to be adapted for these cars, which would necessitate massive investment. It is also worth highlighting the fact that the price of the cars is likely to be high because of the astronomical cost of the technological development, therefore, they might be out of the price range for many individuals. A final relevant point concerns crashes and liability. For instance, if an accident occurred, it would be difficult to ascertain whether it was the fault of the person who owned the car or the computer software which was controlling it. Despite having considered both sides of this issue, I am still unsure whether the pros outweigh the cons. It cannot denied that owning a self-driving car is certainly an attractive proposition; however, until they have been fully developed and a huge number of safety tests have been carried out, I reserve the judgement on this matter.