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We should embrace self-driving automobiles – provided they behave themselvesAs I am the unofficial road etiquette correspondent for site, I noticed that the Institute of Advanced Motorists has found that among those they surveyed, 40 per cent of motorists would never consider using a driverless car. Furthermore, 65 per cent of people are sceptical as to whether driverless technology is actually a good idea. Actually, Im not entirely sure that many cars have drivers who are that clued up or plugged into what they are doing anyway. So might a self-driving car actually do a better job than someone who is having a fag, headbanging to death metal or texting their mum? After all, aircraft have things called automatic pilots, as well as real ones. If we knew just how much time it was on auto when flying on our hols somewhere, we might well be fine about self-driving cars. Rita the Robot can drive my car any time so that I can put my feet up. The only issue is whether robot and human-guided cars could co-exist. Would we have to chuck away all our Caterhams and classics and just about anything built prior to 2012, or can the self-driving technology be retro-fitted? At the traffic lights the other day, I saw someone with a dog perched on their lap. Sorry, I didnt snap a picture. The hound may well have been in control, for all I know, but the chances are the poor creature would be nothing more than a fluffy airbag. So are you frightened by robot cars? Will you embrace them, or do you fancy training your basset hound to steer your motor? Id be fascinated to find out.
