Self-driving-cars are the new wave in transportation related technology. Brands such as Tesla have taken the car industry by storm, specifically the Auto-Pilot feature that lets drivers take their hands off the wheel and the car will drive itself. With all of this new technology, safety seems like something that is compromised for the comfort of being able to relax at the wheel.

Cars that have the ability to go into auto pilot may sound very cool, but it doesn’t seem very safe to me. As of right now 21 states don’t allow self driving cars, if that many states don’t even allow it on the roads, how safe can it really be? Would I enjoy the luxury of a self driving car? Absolutely, the luxury seems to be extremely nice and something that everyone who owns these types of cars can agree with.

The laws surrounding driving have taken quite a shift since these new cars have been introduced. Only 29 states regulate self-driving cars, Texas being one of them. Is it because Texas wants to have more car sales to add to the economic growth of Austin, or is it because they aren’t worried about the overall safety of these cars? With a state that has allowed these types of vehicles to hit the road, Ford, a classic automobile brand, will start testing new cars with auto-pilot in mid-november in Austin. The brand decided that with a city with such a “large university campus at its core and a vibrant, growing downtown,” 

29% of self driving vehicles are owned in North America, meaning that in one region in a few years the convenience and comfort of the “driverless” car is impactful to the masses who can obtain these vehicles. As someone who doesn’t have a car who can go into autopilot, in certain situations there is no way I would want to be driving next to a car like a Tesla. But, if I was in a crunch, stressed, or sleep deprived from studying, a Tesla or any other brand that has cars with these features, is exactly what I would want. 

Austin is the perfect place to test, and distribute these vehicles. Which you can tell people in Austin thoroughly enjoy these cars, every time you drive, you’ll see a sea of teslas, no matter where you are. But in this “sea” of cars, if someone is ‘relaxing’ while sitting in the driver’s seat, as an opposing driver, you are bound to get concerned on why the other driver does not have full attention to what is happening on the road. 

If you are driving 65 miles on the highway and you’re next to an auto-piloted car who’s going the same speed, would you not have an underlying layer of fear? The way that the sensors work, in the state of Texas, the amount of road work there is has to confuse the sensors around the car; at least I’d assume so. There is also horrible traffic in almost all of the major Texas cities, and on the highways; I’d guess that busy students and adults would use the time that they don’t have to crawl in traffic could finally get a “breath of fresh air.”  I know that if I had the luxury to put my car in auto-pilot and not worry about the traffic around me, I would embrace it.

Elon Musk and his revolution and change in the self driving cars scene has states, cities, and drivers thinking about the new way that cars operate. But if safety is an issue already as a driver or passenger, I cannot see a computer making better and safer decisions based on how quickly opposing drivers can switch lanes or do something unexpected. If you aren’t concerned overall about the software of the computer and the algorithm, then by all means if you have the chance to have or drive in one of these automated vehicles, then enjoy the luxury. But remember, safety is the number one priority, and if public officials can’t deem these cars safe, then can you?