Everyone Needs To Stop Assuming Autonomous Vehicles Are Going To Be Safer Than Humans

Articles about how autonomous vehicles are almost here and how big a deal it'll be aren't exactly uncommon, but this one from a couple of days ago over at Interesting Engineering struck me in particular because it rehashes an idea that's at the root of so many articles and self-righteous online arguments from Tesla owners about autonomous cars: that autonomous vehicles will unquestionably be safer than human drivers. I think there's a bit of a logical fallacy there, and there's no reason we have to keep perpetuating this idea. The Interesting Engineering article is called Will Our Children Ever Learn To Drive and is, in turn, inspired by a Motor Trend story about a robotics expert who predicts that kids born today won't ever drive a car, as our "autonomous future is only 10, 15 years out." Now, there's plenty to unpack and discuss right there, as I personally think those timelines are wildly optimistic and don't factor in any number of realities of driving and the world that could affect whether or not your kid chooses to learn to drive, but I want to focus more on one particular part of the IE article. Our children may then have a choice to drive a car, but they will probably never have to drive a car if they don't want to. As a parent myself, I personally hope my children never have to drive a car for one main reason – safety.