Steve Mahan, a blind person, makes a strong appeal for driverless cars in a video released by Google. The video shows Mr Mahan in the driver’s seat of their autonomous Prius completing what for others may look like everyday chores but what for some groups of our society is extremely hard: Pickung up laundry from the cleaners, fetching something to eat at an arbitrary fast-food restaurant.
The freedom to move is a great accomplishment of modern society. Young people anxiously look forward to the time when they can drive around on their own, going wherever they want. But we forget that large groups are excluded from this freedom: Those with disabilities, the elderly (who may find it hard to continue living in their own home when they can no longer drive a car), the young (whose parents often find themselves in the role of personal chauffeur) and the poor who can not afford their own car.
Source: ABC News
Google’s low-cost PR video clearly outlines a major benefit of self-driving vehicles and is an attempt at shaping the public debate. This is crucial for any company before bringing a new technology into the market. While the Google car may still be a few years away, this video shows that the strategists at Google are carefully laying the groundwork for that occasion.