How We'll Eventually Trust Autonomous Planes, Trains And Automobiles With Our Lives

Though nearly a third of American adults still report experiencing fear of flying, the majority of us implicitly trust that airlines will get us from point A to point B and back again in one piece. Indeed, few factors are as crucial in the transportation industry as trust. If we didn't believe in the safety of a train, plane or automobile, no one would ever travel that way. Planes, however, still have pilots, and trains usually have conductors, and most likely will for the near future. Interestingly, the introduction of autopilot in commercial aviation – effectively rendering pilot control for large parts of the flight unnecessary – did not seem to bother most passengers, (similar to modern conductor-less locomotive systems).