Argumentative Essay On Self-Driving Cars

Self-driving cars are becoming more popular and widely developed in today's society. The companies that make these cars consider the technology risks and scientific ethics of them. Since these cars have been developed and studied for years they promise fewer car accidents, less traffic, and less societal fuel and healthcare costs. Some say that there are problems such as security issues, and a need for more research into their safety and value. Although self-driving cars come with some questions the rewards outweigh the risk and self-driving cars should be fully implemented into our current society.

One of the major ethical reasons for electric self-driving cars is the reward of cutting down on the use of oil and the emissions that cause climate problems. The idea that self-driving cars are mostly electric means that it cuts down the amount of money spent on gasoline and the amount of gasoline that is used. Electric cars will also help save money, cut down on pollution, and reduce gas usage as stated by the Office of ENERGY EFFICIENCY & RENEWABLE ENERGY, “there are a variety of options for charging: at home, at work or on the road. By charging often, you may never need to go to a gas station again!” This can help autonomous car owners save a lot of money because they won't have to buy gas anymore, they will be able to charge their cars almost anywhere. Electric cars are helping cut down on the carbon emissions from cars using gasoline and this reward can help create a healthier, cleaner environment and even slow down global warming. 

In addition to the reward of a cleaner environment, autonomous cars and their ability to make safe driving decisions, outweigh the risks of human error when it comes to driving decisions. The reduction of human error will also help increase the speed of travel for many and hopefully make transportation both quicker and safer. One of the major rewards from self-driving cars is that self-driving cars decrease human error and the number of car accidents. Computers that drive these cars cannot be distracted by being on their phones like people. As stated by Valiente Mott “94% of the crashes in 2017 were due to human error. Computers based on sophisticated systems and algorithms will essentially eliminate costly human error.” These cars are coded for safety resulting in fewer fatalities and injuries requiring that people be treated in hospitals. Each year, 1.35 million people are killed on roadways around the world. According to Valiente Mott in an article on the pros and cons of these cars, she writes that “computers based on sophisticated systems and algorithms will essentially eliminate costly human error. Major causes of accidents, including drunk or distracted driving, will not be factors with self-driving cars. It’s estimated self-driving cars can reduce accidents by up to 90%”. The major reduction in car accidents from the implication of autonomous cars will greatly outweigh the risk that may come along in the early stages of self-driving cars

Self-driving cars have made a major impact on today's society but some questions come along with the arrival of this new technology that may make people believe that these cars are risky and are unsafe. One of these questions has been pondered by students at MIT who put together a survey that anyone can try. It is called the MIT's Moral Machine. The Moral Machine’s questions make you choose between injuring men or women, fit or obese individuals, successful or unsuccessful individuals, and humans or animals. The data that is taken from the survey will be carefully analyzed and used to develop code for fully autonomous cars. People also point out, like Valiente Mott that “one of the disadvantages to self-driving cars is their lack of ability to make judgments between multiple unfavorable outcomes.” Decisions made when driving have to be made in a matter of seconds, resulting in life or death and this raises the question about what can do this better; human or computer. These problems are looked at by companies such as Tesla regularly in their research. 

Overall although self-driving cars come with some risks the rewards outweigh the risk and self-driving cars should be fully implemented into our current society. Autonomous cars will help benefit our society by reducing the number of injuries and deaths related to car accidents. Autonomous cars will also reduce the amount of CO2 released into the atmosphere and help slow down global warming. Although the cars will have to make ethical decisions they will greatly benefit our society overall.

Works Cited

"Injury Prevention & Control Global Road Safety." CDC, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, www.cdc.gov/injury/features/global-road-safety/index.html. Accessed 5 Mar. 2021.

Maxmen, Amy. "Self-driving car dilemmas reveal that moral choices are not universal." Nature, Springer Nature Limited, 24 Oct. 2018, www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-07135-0. Accessed 5 Mar. 2021.

SELF-DRIVING CARS: PROS AND CONS. Valiente Mott, valientemott.com/blog/blog-self-driving-cars-pros-and-cons/. Accessed 5 Mar. 2021.