The fallout from "self driving cars"...

[southernfriedcj]

GM announced that they will have an autonomous car ready for the market in 2019.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/12/business/gm-driverless-car.html

Whether or not it is ready in 2019, the day will be here soon.

I was thinking about the fallout when driverless cars become the norm.

Apparently they will be much safer than cars driven by humans. No surprise there.
The downside I see to that safety margin is that it will be irresistible for the government to keep there nose out of the business of those who like to turn their own steering wheel. Ironically enough, the @#$%^&*# in California, the mecca of the car culture, will probably be the ones to lead the charge.

It is going to be hard to resist banning drive it yourself cars when they are killing machines compared to driverless cars.

If the worst case scenario comes to pass, what will happen to the car "hobby"? I ain't paying 4 mil for a Hemi Cuda ragtop if I can't drive it.

Will they came out with a retrofit kit so that Cuda can drive itself(be nice for bracket racers), will rich folks start driving clubs with private driving circuits or will the market for collector car collapse?

I am not saying this will happen, but I'm a "the glass is empty and the damn thing dropped on the floor and shattered" kind of guy.

While we are on the subject of driverless cars, when they become the norm, what will traffic cops do? Ticket revenue will drop to darn near nothing.

What will body shop do? Those cars won't be crashing themselves(very often).

We will need a lot less ambulance chasers. A lot less DUI lawyers. A lot less trauma centers.

What will insurance companies do? Sure, you will need some insurance, but I would guess it won't be much.

How about high end new cars? I'm not buying a new Lambo if I can't wring it out.

Heck, if I'm not driving my car it might as well be a Prius.

I could see the parts/modification after market drying up too.

It should cut down on traffic congestion. Those cars should be able to drive nose to tail at WOT. Cut your commute in half. Maybe we won't need so may new lanes around Atlanta after all.

What do y'all think?

[big gear head]

I've been thinking about the very same things as you have. What will I do with my Camaro when it's illegal for me to drive it? What will I do with all of my big block Chevy parts and other go fast stuff when I can't enjoy them anymore? Who is going to want the muscle cars when they are illegal to drive? I don't want to ride in a car that I'm not driving. I don't like anti lock brakes and other automatic controls that take the car out of my hands. I know that it's coming, but I don't like it.

[JKZ27]

I would think a LOT more would have to happen, politically, for our cars to become illegal nationwide. I could see the push for this to happen in metropolitan areas, inside city limits, where no one gives a crap about driving cars anyway. Like, if you want to drive to the city, you can drive to a point then get on a train or call a driving service. However, I think, as long as rural people own rural land and continue to choose to be self sufficient, forcing them to spend a lot of money for a vehicle they don't want, can't control and can't afford to fix may make them feel like their freedom is being messed with, a little more.

I, personally, struggle with modern cars already. They Just don't do EXACTLY what you tell them to do. They only do what they "think" you should do. No doubt, modern performance cars are badass but the biggest thing I miss about my old SRT10 truck is the cable that connected the pedal to the throttle.

[70 copo]

The connection between the thread "EPA ban on race cars" the attack on the internal combustion engine in general and now the rise of autonomous vehicles is all part of UN Agenda 2030.

Skip to the executive summary here:

https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/2375Mobilizing%20Sustainable%20Transport.pdf

[Keith Seymore]

I'll be housebound unless I can walk where ever I am going.

I get car sick if I wheel around in my desk chair too fast.

K

[Lee Stewart]

I just don't see it happening. Instead of Taxis and Limos - maybe. But ALL cars - never happen.

How does a self driving car pull into a gas station and get gas?

[JKZ27]

Since they're already trying to do away with gasoline I'd assume everything would be electric.

[Lee Stewart]

So I guess we will see the proliferation of the State/Federal ID card huh? If all cars are driverless what need is there for a Drivers License which just happens to be the main form of identification in use today and for the foreseeable future.

And BIG OIL gives up gasoline as revenue and the Insurance Industry gives up large insurance rates on cars cause there will be no need for collision or major medical . . . right?

Dream on!

[scuncio]

I can tell you that an enormous pile of $$$ is being funneled into autonomous vehicles and EVs, funded by the sale of higher-margin 'conventional' vehicles. Not sure how the whole story will play out, but I have worked on, and peripheral to, EV/AV technology for 15 years and am floored by the progress made on the technology over the last 24 months.

[Lee Stewart]

The BIG money is going into electric car technology - $90 BILLION.

[Woj]

Well... I don't think it will happen very soon,...but it will eventually. In my line of work (commercial flying), I'm now flying with millennials who are more than happy to completely trust automation, even though it isn't without error. Unfortunately, this is where it is all going. I won't give up driving my "old" cars.. smelling the exhaust and aging vinyl interiors. We grew up on this stuff and it won't go away soon. I'm sure that a few decades from now, these oldies will be a "thing of the past", but I'm going to enjoy these cars for the great memories, freedom and hope they provided in the past. Sadly, few of the kids from the latest generations will experience what we did with the automotive scene. Enjoy them for what they are. The forthcoming generations didn't know these buggies the way we do and will never appreciate them the way that we will.

[m22mike]

Funny you should mention your newer pilots, as you and I have talked before, real (GOOD) stick and rudder pilots will soon be a thing of the past. Sad, but they don't get it. :no:

[Mr. Chevy]

"Millennials" don't even get me started...... I deal with my share at work... They know everything...

Rich

[KenMaisano]

Well... I don't think it will happen very soon,...but it will eventually. In my line of work (commercial flying), I'm now flying with millennials who are more than happy to completely trust automation, even though it isn't without error. Unfortunately, this is where it is all going. I won't give up driving my "old" cars.. smelling the exhaust and aging vinyl interiors. We grew up on this stuff and it won't go away soon. I'm sure that a few decades from now, these oldies will be a "thing of the past", but I'm going to enjoy these cars for the great memories, freedom and hope they provided in the past. Sadly, few of the kids from the latest generations will experience what we did with the automotive scene. Enjoy them for what they are. The forthcoming generations didn't know these buggies the way we do and will never appreciate them the way that we will.

I couldn't of said it better. Half the kids around here, don't even want to get a drivers license.