The benefits will outweigh the downsides of self-driving cars. However, it’s good to have a balanced understanding (check out these 17 benefits of self-driving cars). In the years ahead, we’ll start to see the cons of self-driving cars on our roads.
Similar to the benefits, many downsides are easy to predict. However, you’ll see a wide range of changes. There are many second order effects that will negatively affect our roads and economy. This won’t happen overnight, but the auto and transportation industries are already starting to shift gears.
Let’s dive into the big takeaways. Then after these points, you’ll find more insight into why self-driving cars are bad.
Cons of Self-Driving Cars
- Lose Taxi and Uber Jobs
- One of the biggest costs of Taxis, Uber, and other ride-hailing services is the drivers. Uber will be happy to cut jobs once driving automation is up to par. There are ongoing debates about how to classify and pay these workers. But in the years ahead, it’ll be a moot point. Uber reports well over 5 million monthly active drivers. Self-driving cars will replace these jobs and many more.
- Replace Trucking Jobs
- This goes hand-in-hand with the first downside of self-driving cars. But it’s good to show the huge impact automation will have on our economy. There are more than 3.5 million truck drivers in the U.S. and new self-driving technologies will replace them over the next few decades.
- Increase Cyber Threats
- Self-driving cars come with a complex system of sensors, wires, and computers. Your car will have more access points for hackers and those hackers can gain more control of your car. Already, some cars come with remote controls to prevent access if drivers aren’t making their loan payments. This technology in the wrong hands can lead to many problems.
- Harvest Personal Data
- Companies collect more data on you every year. And there are many cameras and sensors built into self-driving cars. This will be a gold mine for learning about your travel habits and much more. Companies will improve their marketing to extract more of your money. There’s a battle with auto and tech companies to control software in cars. Apple CarPlay is one of many competitors.
- Create Subscription Fees
- With self-driving cars heavy on software, we’re starting to see Tesla and others lock features. You can then pay once to unlock them or an ongoing subscription fee. Total travel expenses should come down, but companies will find new ways to make money.
- Reduce Driving Freedom
- Self-driving cars will become mandatory on most roads for safety. This is a few decades out and people will fight against this loss of freedom. Driving manually on the roads is ingrained into American culture. This is one of many overlooked cons of self-driving cars.
- Forget Driving Skills
- Manual driving skills will disappear as hands-free driving takes hold. In the event of a system failure, drivers will be less prepared to control their car. This tendency has already been seen with pilots as we’ve automated many of their critical flying controls. Future self-driving cars will remove steering wheels altogether.
- Decrease Town Revenue
- Some small towns pull in a lot of revenue from speeding tickets and vehicle violations. But self-driving might make that a thing of the past. The lost revenue will put pressure on some small towns.
- Contribute to Deflation
- Innovation and new technologies can be deflationary. The cost of transport will come down and lower prices. Car insurance and industries might see a big drop in revenue. This can lead to fewer jobs and government revenue.
- Challenge Regulators
- Does a car’s computer swerve off a bridge to save one person and potentially kill everyone on board? There’s a lot of legal grey area ahead for self-driving cars. The regulatory side is the biggest barrier for adopting fully automated cars on the roads. Politicians struggle to keep up with the rate of innovation.
- Retrofit Roads
- Roads will take on a new design and signing system in the future. It will be an expensive transition to retrofit our roads with technology that assists self-driving cars. Old conventions will go to waste. And there will be plenty of waste finding and agreeing on what standards to use.
Why Self-Driving Cars are Bad?
You should now have a better understanding of why self-driving cars are bad. Some of these issues are on the smaller end. However, there are many serious concerns.
Unlike past job-replacing technologies, innovation today is replacing millions of workers. It’s at a faster pace than we’ve seen in the past. Labor force participation has been in a downtrend for more than 20 years. Self-driving cars and other automation will force our entire economic system to change.
Nonetheless, I’m optimistic we’ll overcome these cons of self-driving cars. Automation is a net benefit that frees up our time for other work and leisure. I’m looking forward to the future.