We have experienced mind-blowing growth in the world of technology, and it's amazing how so many things we thought were impossible became a reality with the help of technology. All of these technological advancements we are admiring today didn't start in the 21st century, many of them have been works in progress, and we are just fortunate to have these things functioning in this age and time.
Whenever I compare today's technology with what we used to have in the last two decades, I get really curious about the future and wish there was a way I could know what technology can still offer the human race despite all that we are enjoying today. Speak of artificial intelligence, smartphones, space travel, and many others are things we never expected, but they are now reality, and the world would have been a tough place to live in without these things, judging by how these things have made life a lot easier for us.
A self-driving car is one of the wonders of technology for me, and it's amazing how cars can drive you to your destination just by giving it some instructions and your destination. The very first time I saw a self-driving car was in one of Will Smith's movies titled Irobot. A family member came home from abroad with some movie disks and a DVD player back in 2007, and Irobot happened to be one of them.
There was a scene where Will Smith took a nap in his vehicle while it was moving, and I was surprised because it was my first time seeing something like this.
It wasn't even an era of smartphones, so you can understand how magical it felt to see a car driving itself, and at that spot, different questions kept coming up in my head.
What if the car ran into something or something ran into the car? Can it avoid potholes? What kind of technology is this? I kept asking questions, but there were no answers to them. I eventually told myself that the stunt with the car was just a filmtrick. (That was our way of describing fiction back then.)
Fast forward to the present day, self-driving cars is a reality and undergoing test phase in different parts of the world at the moment. I know the vehicles aren't flooding the road yet, but it's just a matter of time before that happens because humans have become so lazy thanks to technology, a lot of people wouldn't mind having their cars drive them around while they do other things in the car.
As much as I admire this technological advancement, a self-driving car isn't one of the things I am looking forward to owning, even if I can afford a million of it, and I have my reasons.
Let's start with the fact that I believe that human-driven cars are a lot safer because, as a driver behind the wheel, I can notice danger on the road earlier and even make quick decisions to avoid an accident or collision. I am not saying self-driving cars can't do the same, but I believe humans driving themselves can do better, plus, it just doesn't make any sense putting my life in the hands of technology.
We are still far from getting to this point, but what if it malfunctioned while moving or someone just hacked the vehicle system? Imagine the car going in the wrong direction, and you can't do anything about it, or do you think it's impossible?
I have experienced my phone freeze for a couple of seconds several times, and there is just nothing I can do about it at that moment other than to allow it to do its thing. Automatically, if it was a self-driving car, anything could have happened in the blink of an eye.
I bet there are lots of safety measures and others, but I still wouldn't consider it. Let me just drive with my hands and stay alert on the road. I know the comfort the car is offering me is awesome, but I put my life before comfort.
Another reason why a self-driving car won't work for me is because I live in Nigeria, where people break traffic laws as they wish. One-way driving, beating traffic lights, and others are things that self-driving cars have to deal with, and I doubt if it can cope in the hands of Lagos drivers, most especially the public transportation buses, because if you don't hit them, they will scratch you.
The vehicle will need to maneuver in traffic, and all these things might not go well, not just in Nigeria alone.
In a situation where a self-driving car gets involved in an accident, I will direct all the blames to the vehicle owner because why on earth would you splash money on a self-driving car when you have hands? It sounds silly, but that's the reality.
To be him, I believe these vehicles were designed to help handicaps travel easily because they might not be able to drive around but what's with humans who can drive and still put their lives on the line in exchange for comfort?
We can't expect 100% perfection from these vehicles, but the manufacturer or sellers will never tell us the flaws just because they want to also sell their products. It's left for us to discover these things, but will the discovery make any sense when the owner of the vehicle is deceased already?
I want to believe self-driving cars aren't completely self-driving, and car owners can easily switch if they want to be in charge of the wheel. Regardless of the safety features that come with the car, I am practically not interested, at least for now.
I am not being negative about this awesome innovation, and creating a self-driving car is a big achievement in the tech world, but it's not just for me. Hopefully, I can ride in one someday to tell myself that my thoughts about these vehicles were wrong, but until then, nothing will change.