Google Self-Drive Project: On the Road in 5 years
The director of the Google Self-Drive project revealed that self-driven cars will be on the roads in the next 5 years. Chris Urmson who is the head of the project said that he wants his son to drive on in the next 5 years when he will turn 18.
He emphasized on Google’s commitment towards this project and that his team is prepared and committed to make this dream come true. There are many skeptics about self-driven with issues ranging from safety and reliability but Google thinks that this perception will change gradually as people get comfortable with this technology. A fully automated car would be a dream come true for many but there are also people who may be auto-car-phobic.
Google introduced a prototype in December last year, the prototype had no steering or traditional controls, and this was a model based on the requirements of early testing.
Google wants the technology out because so many people get stuck in traffic every day and that is a good reason for Google to fasten the pace. By concept, self-driven cars have an objective – to reduce accidents. According to statistics, 1.2 million people are killed every year on the road, this is a big number and self-driven cars can significantly reduce those numbers.
Google thinks that people need self-driven cars but major changes will be required, cities will need to get rid of parking lots but mainly the major factor is that of perception, acceptance and empowerment.