PRO/CON: How safe are cars that can drive themselves?
By Tribune News Service, adapted by Newsela staff
PRO: Driverless cars will make getting to and from work very easy for people
Computers and new machines are changing the way people live. The changes are coming faster than ever before.
Now, the driverless car is coming. It will also bring big changes.
Carmakers are excited. They say they are almost ready to sell driverless cars. They could be here in just three or four years.
Driverless cars will change all sorts of things. For one, fewer people will buy their own cars.
People will no longer have to spend tons of money on a new car. Instead, they will reach for a smartphone. They will simply call for a driverless car to pick them up.
Choosing To Stay In The Suburbs
Driverless cars will change the way people travel. It will make the drive to work easier. They will also change where people live.
More and more people have been moving to big cities. Yet, many would rather live in the suburbs. These towns are outside of the big cities. They are cheaper to live in. They are also not as crowded. People can have more space.
So why are so many Americans moving to big cities anyway?
There are a number of reasons. One of the most important is that many of the best jobs are in big cities.
At the same time, life is harder in the big cities. Big cities cost more to live in. They are dirtier, too.
Driverless cars will change the way Americans think about where they live.
Traveling To Work Will Be Relaxing
Driving to and from work will be easy. Instead of being tiring, it will be relaxing. Passengers will be able to catch up on their reading. They will be able to watch TV.
Fewer people who work in big cities will have to live in those cities. Instead, they will stay in nearby suburbs. Getting to work will be so easy. They will not even mind some extra travel time.
Justin Haskins is the executive editor of Heartland Institute, a conservative and libertarian public policy think tank.
CON: Driverless cars are not very safe
Driverless cars sound like a great idea. There are still some very big problems with them, though.
Some people say the cars will make things safer. People will not need as many cars. More people will be able to live further from cities.
Driverless cars are still not very safe, though.
Computers Are Not Always Reliable
These cars are guided by computers. Those computers need to have road maps loaded into them. If something on the road changes, they are lost. For example, they would not understand a new stop sign.
If something is lying in the road they can become confused. Even a piece of paper can make them change course suddenly. Such sudden shifts make crashes more likely.
Driverless cars cannot handle changes or anything unusual. Passengers still need to be ready to take the wheel.
Driverless Cars Are No Fun
A driverless car cannot work unless road maps are loaded into the car's computer. Millions and millions of miles of road still need to be entered. Catching up will take a long time. It will cost a great deal of money.
Not everyone will like the idea of driverless cars, either.
Some people like to do the driving themselves. They love zooming down the highway. For them, driverless cars would take all the fun out of driving.
Whitt Flora is an independent journalist who covered the White House for the Columbus Dispatch and was chief congressional correspondent for Aviation Week & Space Technology magazine.
1 point
1
Question 1
1.
Which sentence from the PRO article supports the idea that many people would prefer to live in the suburbs rather than in big cities?
1 point
1
Question 2
2.
Read the paragraph from the section "Commuting Will Be Less Of A Chore" in the PRO part of the article.
"Because of that, people will feel less need to live where they work. They will no longer be forced to pay the high rents and taxes common in big cities."
How does this paragraph support the PRO author's MAIN claim?
1 point
1
Question 3
3.
Which of the following statements BEST reflects the CON author's opinion about driverless cars?
5 points
5
Question 4
4.
Which side of the argument do you agree with? State your opinion and quote from the text to support your answer.