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"Up To 75% Of Traffic Will Be Self-Driving Cars By 2040"

September 19, 2012 / $20 says i'll be driving the same car i am now or (God forbid) something even worse, arrrrrrrrrrr you're driving me nuts!, autonomous, cars, count me in, driving, getting around, i hate driving, i'm surprised it isn't coming sooner, in a future without DUI's, look ma no hands!, self-driving, sure why not, the future, the wheels on the bus go round and round, transportation

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According to predictions made by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), as much as 75% of road traffic will be autonomous, self-driving vehicles by 2040. Me? I'll still be rocking the same 2001 Explorer Sport and crashing into things. Oh, who am I kidding? I'll be long dead by then.

IEEE also predicts that the biggest barrier to pervasive adoption of driverless cars may have nothing to do with technology, but will be general public acceptance. While the average driver may grasp the basic benefits of autonomous cars -- increased fuel efficiency and safety, along with a reduction in traffic -- it may not be enough to get them to let go of the steering wheel. Jeffrey Miller, IEEE member and associate professor of computer systems engineering at the University of Alaska-Anchorage, believes that baby steps in the form of driver assist systems may help. "As more vehicular controls begin being automated, such as parallel parking and automatic braking, people will become more accepting of autonomous technologies," Miller told Wired. "So by 2040, driverless vehicles will be widely accepted and possibly be the dominant vehicles on the road."

Okay, so let's say by some miracle I actually live to 2040. That's still 28 years away. If the predominant cars being used are autonomous ones AND NOT F***ING HOVERING ONES, I'm not sure I want to stick around to see it anyways. Ready the angel choir -- I'm coming, Lord! "You'll never make it past the pearly gates." I...was afraid of that.

Thanks to Evil Ares and LupusYonderboy, who both wait till they have friends in the car, then tell them it's autonomous and take their hands off the wheel and wait for the screams as the car drifts towards the side of the bridge. Classic!

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There are Comments
  • MightyMolecule

    automated cars....still getting tickets from red light cameras

  • ZomBBombeR

    This is hilarious, becuase they say the hardest part is getting people to give up control of their vehicles and that's exactly what most commentors, myself included are saying they don't want, I say some asshole has three or more infractions against him then make him use a strictly autonomous car and let the rest of us people who drive normally have our freedom.

  • RareAwesomeman

    i would never do this, there is no fun in it

  • Id take a system that monitors these signals and would take over when an accident might happen but ill drive myself, thanks.

  • Ha. Fuck that. That takes the fun out of it.
    Last think i want is for my kids to never know why i have a driver license.

  • I would be worried that there were cars out there that had been 'upgraded' by some cretin that thought he new best.

  • Ed

    I predict they're wrong. I don't think you could have a system where some cars still have human drivers, or at least you couldn't have all its benefits. All the autonomous cars would have to slow down to accommodate them, you'd still need signals instead of cars just passing through intersections in both directions at the same time, just narrowly missing each other.

  • Call me paranoid, but there's no way I'd want to give up control of my vehicle's speed, steering or destination, and leave all the the work to 'hackable' electronics and satellites.

    I'm as lazy as the next guy, but I couldn't sit back and relax in a future where my car may only take me to government approved non-restricted zones, or worse still directly to the nearest work/prison camp.... I couldn't trust it, but hey that's just me.

  • JJtoob

    Well, I'm surprised that it's been in at least one movie, but no one to my knowledge has hacked an entire nation's traffic lights, not even an entire city. One light, maybe, but not more than that. I'm sure the security of your vehicle will be left to you just as it is with personal computers now days. And the ones who will probably sell the most cars in the future based on their reputation might be Apple lol. Just wait for the iDrive on Air. Yes, it will hover, and it will be magical. Aww I miss Steve Jobs lol.

  • You'll still be able to engage a manual override... but you might get a 1000 credit fine for doing it in public... Also the work and prison camps aren't that bad, they have tapioca.

  • GhostinShell effect, yeah that's why I'll stick with non-robut cars so it won't turn on me. Otherwise..."hello bicycle, dija miss me?"

  • here,here

  • AGirlNamedMichael

    "IEEE" Isn't that what people usually scream when they are about to die in a fiery, computer controlled car crash?

  • ZomBBombeR

    Good one, I liked it anyway.

  • by 2040 there shall be near 9 billion people ... what are lorry drivers going to do, van drivers... road sign makers.. and shit tonn of other people... out of a job....

  • BillGatesIsYourDaddy

    2040? wait a minute...I thought the world was ending this year?

  • JJtoob

    Hope you didn't sell all your properties lol.

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