Self-Driving Cars to Change the Future of Travel

Technology has greatly advanced in just a few years. Before, self-driving cars were simply an imagination, but now it has become a reality. With Uber already a step ahead with its self-driving cars, is this technology the new norm which will inevitably become the future of travel?

Martian anthropologist, John Zimmer, also the co-founder of Lyft which is a ride-sharing app competing with Uber, thinks that self-driving cars will soon be common in the future. In addition, this would give everyone the advantage of owning a car without environmental as well as financial drawbacks.

"Our world could look like if we found a way to take most of these cars off the road. It would be a world with less traffic and less pollution" Zimmer said. "A world where we need less parking -- where streets can be narrowed and sidewalks widened. It's a world where we can construct new housing and small businesses on parking lots across the country -- or turn them into green spaces and parks. That's a world built around people, not cars."

Apart from Lyft and Uber, Tesla's goal by 2018 are fully driverless cars. Other companies have also rolled out plans for self-driving cars by the year 2020. While there's Tesla's plans for self-driving cars, the Volvo XC90 has come far ahead with its Pilot Assist and Cruise Control which allows the car to drive on its own.

In addition to self-driving cars, there are also plans to build self-driving trucks by Otto. Daimler is also working for driverless trucks also by 2020. In fact, the Daimler truck had made history in October 2015 when the first driverless big-rig truck cruised on a highway.

Clearly, the developments in travel with self-driving cars point out that tech is becoming mainstream at a faster rate compared to what people have expected. For one, the self-driving cars would also help the US government in curbing road-related accidents and deaths.