So many aspects of our lives have gone to automation that everything else, including driving a vehicle, is on the table for technology to take over. Google has their own project working towards that end. Nevada passed a law that made it possible in their state. Are we close to sitting back and letting our cars do the driving?

If so, what are the benefits? Will it be safe? Will it actually make the roads safer?

There are four good reasons that make perfecting driverless car technology something that we should push for, but is society ready for it? We may find out sooner than later.

Traffic

One of the long-term goals of the autonomous driving movement is to connect vehicles with each other as well as the roads themselves in a way that are not possible with human drivers. Vehicle spacing in high-traffic areas causes congestion that could easily be alleviated through “smart” cars that engaged with each other.

“Cars at a stop light must take off individually right now, one right after another,” said Dr. Gil Shipley, a professor of Stanford School of Engineering. “If cars were on auto-pilot and connected with one another, they could all start pulling forward in unison which would be both safer and more efficient.”