Driving your own car will become completely obsolete and even illegal by 2038, a new report has warned.
Cars controlled by intelligent ‘driverbots’ will become available by 2018, the report said today.
If they prove to be safer and more reliable fully automatic cars may even negate the
need for human drivers completely in less than 30 years.
The white paper report, researched and written by the Future Laboratory also reveals that car manufacturers such as General Motors and BMW are already working towards eliminating the need for humans to operate its own vehicles.
The technology already exists to make a driver-less world a reality and companies are working on fine-tuning it for our roads.
Larry Burns, General Motors’ vice president for Research & Development, states in the report: ‘Our robot cars will be on the road by 2018.
‘We plan to be road testing them by 2015, by which time the US army will already be using them.’
James Wallman, author of Sure For Men Future Report added: ‘The driverbot will use a combination of current technologies to function. Infra red sensors will automatically enable cars to keep a safe distance from the next, using road space more effectively, reducing congestion and the frequency of traffic jams.
‘Next generation GPS and RFID systems will become fully automated, allowing cars to follow a predetermined route, avoid becoming lost and ensure a safe speed limit is adhered to.’
Cars of the future could be completely voice activated and you would simply tell it where you want to go, similar to being in a taxi.
Dr. Frank Althoff from BMW said in the report: ‘BMW are already looking for really intuitive, natural communication between driver and car.’
The report concludes that by 2038, ‘self-drive’ cars could even become illegal.
With over 90% of Road Traffic Accidents being caused by human error, handing over controls to a robot may be the best solution to improve road safety.