A Mix Of Human-Driven And Robot Cars On The Road Will Probably Be A Disaster

The supposed argument for autonomous vehicles is that they will cut back on fatalities stemming from car crashes by over 90 percent. That cheery-eyed view masks an important point: It'll be a long time before--if ever--that roads will be totally dominated by robot cars. For a while, it'll be a blend of manually-operated and autonomous vehicles. "The research and media attention given to autonomous vehicles often overlooks the safety implications that a mix of driver-operated and autonomous vehicles will bring," said Dr. James Hedlund, a former senior official with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and co-author of the study, in a statement. "Unfortunately, ignoring the driver side of the equation may negate many of the expected safety benefits."