This country is in desperate need of road safety – in 2008, 37,000 people died in car accidents in the United States. The greatest threat to drivers is other drivers, as the leading causes of accidents are distractions such as texting, rubbernecking, or gazing at the scenery.

That’s why Google engineers have been working on vehicles that can drive themselves, using artificial-intelligence software that mimic a human driver.

Autonomous cars would be safer than human drivers for a number of reasons – they react faster than humans, have 360-degree perception, and do not get sleepy, distracted, or intoxicated.

The technology could double the capacity of roads by allowing cars to navigate with greater agility, while closer together. Once cars were deemed safer, they could be built lighter, which would reduce fuel consumption.

Like the idiot-proof cars we reported on previously, Google’s autonomous cars know when to stop for lights and stop signs. They also make vocal announcements such as “approaching a crosswalk,” to warn the human driver, as well as other alerts to let the car occupants know if there’s a malfunction with the sensors or the master control system.

Watch as a reporter from Good Morning America goes for a ride in a Google car:

Development of this game-changing technology is at least eight years away. But already, seven Google test cars have driven 1,000 miles without human intervention, and 140,000 miles with only occasional human control.

The cars have also successfully merged onto highways and navigated some of San Francisco’s steepest and curviest roads. Technologists believe that these vehicles could transform society as significantly as the Internet has.

We’ve posed this question before, but we ask again: How does artificial intelligence strike you? Do you feel more inspired or spooked about a world filled with autonomous ‘bots?

Filed under: Computer, e-News, Mechanical, Transportation

Tags: Cars, Computer, Environmental, Mechanical, Transportation