Is it full speed ahead for driverless cars?

DRIVERLESS cars will prove to be for transport what 3D TV was for home entertainment: a hyped product no one needs or wants. Automotive technologies, such as anti-lock brakes and blind spot detection, make driving safer, but they are there to assist, not replace, the driver. The argument for autonomous cars is that as up to 95 per cent of crashes are caused by driver error, human input should be removed. Driverless vehicles avoid human frailties such as distraction or tiredness, but fortunately drivers counter-balance these with intuition, experience and the capacity for qualitative judgment. Because these qualities prevent collisions rather than cause them, data-crunchers overlook them. How many times have you made allowances for learner drivers or aggressive motorists? And remember that even sophisticated technology can fail. Any hoped-for safety gain with driverless cars might not be as significant as claimed. N. WATERS, Berrynarbor, Devon. WHAT a brilliant idea to promote driverless cars. I’m sure cab drivers and white van men are looking forward to being unemployed.

SANDRA PARSONS, Keston, Kent. WHO would want a driverless car? Teenagers would miss the nerves of learning to drive, the joy of passing the test, the annoyance of the first speeding ticket and the pride of telling their parents: ‘No problem, I’ll run you the airport.’ N. WOODS, Chilton, Co. Durham. WILL a man have to walk in front of driverless cars waving a red flag until they amend the Highway Act 1835? TONY SATCHELL, Bicester, Oxon.