Social Impact of Autonomous Cars

Running head: SOCIAL IMPACT OF AUTONOMOUS CARS
Social Impact of Autonomous Cars
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Social Impact of Autonomous Cars
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Autonomous vehicles, are cars, that can drive itself., without the help of human
beings. They are a combination of software and sensors, that automatically drive, control and
navigate the car. Also, noted as ‘self-driven car’ or ‘driverless car’, or ‘robot cars’, these cars
have become a social reality now. Even one decade back, no body could imagine that such an
existence is possible, and today, it is a social reality now. Although, these vehicles have not
yet become legal on road, but there are some partially automated cars and trucks, running on
the road, that are free from the conventional modes of driving. However, this highly
anticipated vehicle has some serious social impact, as found by the scholars and
academicians. Automated cars are one of the greatest inventions of all time, however, the
social scientists have looked at it from a rather utilitarian perspective, focusing largely on the
part of safety, efficiency and regulations (Hars. 2019). The sociologists have claimed that the
such invention has a sensitive impact upon the society at large. They are critical about the
approach of inequality that is underlying the invention. Also, there is a shift in the forms of
labors and the transformation in experiences. However, the automation of the vehicles has
certain benefits as well. Apart from the benefits enjoyed by the drivers, the automation of
vehicles also contributes environmentally to the society. Therefore, in the following essay,
the concept of automated vehicles and the social impact of the same have been discussed
from various approach.
Automated Vehicles:
There are assessed to be more than 1 billion vehicles on the streets at present and that
figure is set to twofold continuously 2040. In any case, given the possible selection of self-
driving vehicles, that situation presently looks far-fetched. They are broadly discussed in the
media these days with valid justifications stating the current scenarios and positions of
various companies regarding this very topic (Gucwa. 2014). Numerous organizations are
hustling towards execution of full self-rule, with some encouraging accomplishment inside

Social Impact of Autonomous Cars
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the following five years. For instance, Ford is promising to have a completely self-ruling
Level 4 vehicle prepared by 2021. This vehicle will have no directing wheel or access to the
fuel pedal, and the traveler will never need to assume responsibility for the vehicle in a
predefined zone. According to Hars (2018), at present, self-driving vehicle innovation isn't
yet prepared for boundless appropriation however, the feasibility is undoubtable. The
quantity of organizations chipping away at self-driving vehicles is quickly expanding and is
drawing inclusion from innovation organizations, similar to Google and Apple, and car
organizations like BMW and General Motors. Google were among the first to examine the
reasonability of this innovation with their accomplishment in the DARPA Grand Challenge
of 2005 (Bisell et al. 2018). A considerable lot of these vehicles will be utilized by armada
organizations to give taxi and sharing administrations, and numerous different uses are
arranged. We are in all respects liable to see vast quantities of these vehicles in our urban
areas inside the following couple of decades. There are be that as it may, diverse dimensions
of self-governance, and these are depicted in the following area.
There exist six levels of car autonomy as defined in 2014 by the Society of
Automotive Engineers (SAE). They take values on a scale from 0 to 5. Level 0 refers to
complete driver control and, with Level 5 at the other extreme representing completely
autonomy in any environment.
Level 0: Human Control. All car operational functions are under human driver control. This
does not exclude warning indicators that alert the driver to attend to something, such as low
fuel.
Level 1: Driver Assistance. At this level, technologies, such as Automatic Emergency
Braking (AEB) or cruise control, may be controlled by the car to assist the driver, one at a
time.