The average person today feels a little guilty about motoring. It seems like something they shouldn’t be doing. Public transport and cycling are available, and yet the average person is still going to the gas station, filling up the tank, and spewing carbon dioxide into the air.
For the most part, that psychology is being repressed. Nobody wants to confront it. But it turns out that technology could eventually eliminate the problem and reduce the guilt associated with it.
The same goes for safety. At the moment, the average person takes big risks when they step into their vehicles and start driving. Even with services like GetDismissed ticket dismissal, the financial and legal penalties of driving are high, not to mention the potential to cause bodily injury to others.
Again, this is something that our society mostly sweeps under the rug. We don’t want to think about how our driving habits could potentially harm other people.
The Technological Solution
The problem, however, is that driving is practically essential for a functional, modern society. We wouldn’t have the freedom we enjoy today if it weren’t for the motor vehicle. It’s perhaps the greatest invention of the 20th century.
However, technology might be coming to the rescue and creating a situation in which we no longer have to feel guilty every time we turn the ignition key.
Salvation is coming from two places:
- Autonomous technology
- Electrification of the drive drain.
The benefits of autonomy are clear. Once cars can drive themselves, it is no longer the responsibility of the owner to ensure safety. That passes over to manufacturers and insurers. Thus, for many people, life will become a lot easier. Far fewer people will have to bear the guilt of killing or injuring somebody in a collision. The blame will fall squarely on the company providing the autonomous systems.
So too are the benefits of drivetrain electrification. Currently, the vast majority of cars still rely on internal combustion engine technology. But that could be about to change in a big way. By 2030, the majority of new cars will be electric. And end-consumers will have done all they can to reduce the impact of their motoring on the wider world.
These two changes will lead to a fundamentally new way of viewing private vehicle usage. Governments and individuals will no longer see it as a necessary evil and rather as an enjoyable part of life, like gardening. People will be able to travel across cities guilt-free, without filling the lungs of children with toxic diesel particles.
The conclusion, therefore, seems to be that we won’t collectively feel so guilty about motoring in the future. Yes – there will always be those who attempt to induce a sense of guilt for their own ends. But the car will no longer be an easy target. Electric vehicles powered by renewables do not add carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.
So, are you excited about the future? Do you think cars will become a safe indulgence by 2030?