Could you imagine being in a car driven by a computer, not a human? Recently, China has made a big step toward self-driving technology. Since August 2022, driverless taxis can run on roads in Wuhan, Chongqing and Shenzhen.
Why do we develop self-driving cars?
Self-driving cars bring us many benefits. They use computers to sense the things around them and make better use of space. This means fewer traffic jams and better parking of cars. For disabled or blind people, self-driving cars can also help them get around more easily.
According to official statistics, each year, more than 1.35 million people are killed on roads around the world, and more are injured. It's reported that self-driving cars could reduce road accidents by 90 percent and save governments a lot of money. The main cause of car accidents is human error(错误). By using computers, self-driving cars don't make poor decisions or lose focus like humans do.
But self-driving cars aren't perfect. If something unexpected on the road happens, self-driving cars can't react(反应) as fast as a human driver could. Also, during weather events like heavy snow, self-driving cars wouldn't see the lines on the road easily. It might lead to an accident. The car's computer system would be broken by someone, causing it to crash or change its direction.
It's clear that there is still a long way to go to make self-driving cars a common and safe sight(景象) on our roads. And China is taking the lead in making this happen, said China Daily.
