Technology today is beginning to support the possibility of driverless cars. However, there are many issues that would support arguments against the development of these cars. This radical idea is actually rather unrealistic, the technology required is far too advanced for any humans to develop in a safe manner. In addition, there are too many safety and law issues surrounding the automatic cars. Lastly, cars that drives themselves would be rather unbeneficial to people themselves. Development on driverless cars should not continue on farther than they already have.

Technology nowadays has advanced farther than we could have ever imagined. It's true that we have now accomplished what used to seem impossible, but how far is too far? Many of the cars that have been developed have incredible technology, but they all still require a reliable human driver. The farthest companies, such as BMW, have come are things like the "Traffic Jam Assistant." This car can handle speeds only up to 25 mph, which is far below the speed limit on most roads. The cars are able to perform specific functions on their own, but are all programmed with things to make sure that the driver is fully alert since they can't handle more than slow and striaght driving on their own. The idea of completely driverless cars is unrealistic, which has been proven by the requirement that the cars need a driver to fully take them over in most situations. Too much time and too many resources are being put into an idea that may take centuries to develop, this time and resources could be put into more pressing issues.

In the states, it is illegal for driverless cars to even be tested. If they can't be tested in real life situations, then how will we ever get the chance to develop them? It's true that some states, such as California and Nevada, allow limited use of semi-automatic cars, but thats a far cry from allowing cars to completely drive themselves. The current laws are based off the fact that a safe, human driver is required to be behind the wheel. New laws would have to override current ones to allow such vehicles, which seems to be more trouble than worth. Aditionally, questions on safety play a major role in many arguments. Technology is wonderful and often helpful, but its never 100% reliable. When malfunctions occur, people will get hurt by the destructive weapon that is an automatic vehicle. Also, the question of who would be liable for the accident would arise; is it the manufacturer or driver? Many conflicts between individuals and large companies would begin to form.

Finally, driverless cars may cause more harm than good to the human mind. If the technology to have cars drive themselves is developed, then more and more things will evolve to "improve" human lives. In reality, this technology will likely promote extreme laziness in already unproductive beings. While behind the wheel, drivers would get bored and distracted absolutely doing nothing. Even though sensors and other technology are being developed that would quickly alert the driver when the vehicle is in need of assistance and keep them "safely" preoccupied, they are not full-proof. As with all technology, malfunctions would likely occur and cause accidents. Also, the driver may have a tendency to check their phone and do other distrating things if they rely too much on the technology, which would cause even more accidents. This again brings up the question of liability. Was it the driver's fault for not being alert or the manufacturer's for failing to alert them?

To conclude, the development of driverless cars should come to a halt. It is true that car technology has advanced greatly, but everything still requires a functioning human driver. This development is overshadowing more important issues of today's world. In addition, there are laws in place that prohibit driverless cars for a reason. It is nearly impossible to test out the development of these vehicles due to these laws, which should be a very obvious sign to discontinue these efforts. The largest issue is safety. Technology is not completely reliable and never will be. Especially in new developments, malfuntions and technical difficulties are very common. Things have been developed that may alert drivers and keep them from becoming bored, but they may promote bad habits. People would become increasingly lazy and become more unsafely distracted behind the wheel than ever. Don't support the development of driverless cars by making sure to be a safe, alert driver and understand how far too far is concerning the development of technology.