“Gonna write me up for 125. Post my face, wanted dead or alive. Take my license, all that jive. I can’t drive 55.” Sammy Hagar - 1984
I am a huge fan of the self-driving car concept. It will be the most disruptive technology since the horseless carriage, the smart phone, or the George Foreman Grill!
No, seriously, the world will change in ways yet unimagined. Here are just a few:
- No speeding or reckless driving
- They will obey the law
- No red light running
- They will know when the light is changing before you do
- No—or at least a lot fewer—accidents
- They communicate with other cars on the road
- They will not get distracted by texts, tweets, or loud music
- They will be sober (Their JOLT will come from electricity)
- There will not be 35,000 people a year dying on the highways
Who can argue with these benefits? All good, right?
There are two sides to every equation. For example, the District of Columbia took in an estimated $90 million from red light and speed cameras last year. How will the District replace that revenue?
Oh, right, red light and speed cameras are not about “revenue.” They are there for “safety.” Like Congress is about legislating.
The District is not the only jurisdiction that relies on lawbreaker revenue. Traffic and parking enforcement will no longer be necessary. We will not need the same size police force. Think of the savings.
There will be no Uber, Lyft, or Cab drivers. Same for long haul truckers.
“East Bound and Down” Jerry Reed – Smokey and the Bandit - 1977
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHZJej98_T0
Starting to sound like a lot of unemployment. Where will all the disrupted go? I suppose they can all become computer technicians or tech workers. Maybe they can become human location monitors. Yes, they will know where you are, always!
There are even more implications. When reduced to their lowest common denominator, cars are just transportation. Getting you from point A to point B. With or without fuzzy dice or baby shoes draped over the mirror.
In the near future, you will not own a car. You will call for or reserve one on an app. (Remember that smart phone I mentioned.) It will come to you, take you where you want to go, and drop you. The car will then go to its next assignment or a holding area to await the next call.
These cars will be electric. No more gas stations. No more gas. Autonomous cars will be the nation’s Beano!
Fewer or no accidents means fewer body shops. No PEP boys and Auto Zones, and hopefully an end to those annoying pine tree air fresheners.
No more new or used car salesmen. Fewer plaid sports coats. So, as you can see, the ripple effect of the self-driving car travels the whole way to the fashion industry.
WOW, that is a lot to digest. I hope someone is planning for all of this disruption, because it is coming. The whole country will be subscribed to autonomous Zip cars!
You, too, may have disruptions coming to your life, ready or not. Are you prepared for the disruption retirement may cause, the medical bills that may come with old age, a retirement that could last 35 years?
It is never too early or too late to plan. Come see us and we will help you prepare for the coming retirement disruptions, and self-driving cars!
Cool muscle cars and Sammy Hagar!