Why Self-Driving Cars Won't Happen

Haven’t we all dreamed of cars that could drive themselves? That could keep you safe, without your intervention? I know I have. But without a societal change, this would never become reality. Although I do not have time to further clarify these points, there are reasons why this can’t happen.

In this capitalist society, although car companies think about the safety of their costumers, it’s usually for their own interests. An unsafe car would lead to massive lawsuits against the company, and the company doesn’t want that. So they develop safe technology to use in cars. But one of the keys of business is to make sure your customer keeps buying. And right now, this is achieved becuase however minor a crash may be, the car would be totalled, and you would need to buy a new one. Car companies therefore make much more profit overlooking safety development cost.

But how about self-driving cars, to get back to my topic? That is an impossibility. Although it may be feasible now, or in the future, car companies would be reluctant. Sure, the idea may sell for a while, but consumers will soon realise that it’s not worth buying new cars when the old one has not been damaged at all, and never will be through crashes. Any crash would lead to lawsuits, after all.

Note: This overlooks the fact that the pieces could be faulty, but this would be fixed anyway through warranties.