Human beings have consistently looked for ways to improve the efficiency of all the operations they undertake. Innovation and technology have been the lead to bringing improvements in society. The introduction of driverless vehicles has been one of the transformations society has embraced. This article will examine how autonomous cars have been integrated into the mainstream society, and how they are expected to reduce traffic congestion.

Could Autonomous Vehicles be the Means to Decongesting Traffic?

Driverless vehicles have indicated the possibility of transforming mobility and improving the safety of our roads. Traffic jams are quite hectic and finding a way to eliminate them would be very beneficial to society.

Worse even, traditional cars tend to cause frequent blockages on roads as they look for parking spots within urban centers. A study in Park Slope, Brooklyn about traffic flow indicated that about 64 percent of the local cars were looking for a parking spot around the suburbs. Autonomous cars are expected to bring a lot of change on urban roads because they do not need to park.

The introduction of driverless cars on state roads will help a lot in saving lost time caused by traffic congestion. The cars can move along the roads a lot faster by unblocking the roads so that traffic flow can be a lot smoother. Moreover, autonomous cars will radically change road activity by bringing an end to traffic stops, which will ultimately eliminate congestion.

Fully automated cars are expected to take over the roads by 2020, and they will enable individuals to utilize traveling time more effectively. Autonomous cars will be manufactured with their safety measures prioritized. Tech companies have come together to include adaptive cruise control; it automatically keeps the cars at a safe distance apart. Incorporating the technology to the current human monitoring will curb congestion and eventually eliminate it.

However, the transformation from traditional to autonomous cars will cause a lot of traffic congestion before it gets smooth. This is because of the high population of cars that currently drive along the state roads, and integrating driverless vehicles will require a lot of precision.

Embracing autonomous cars will see a reduction in road accidents which are among the top causative agents of traffic congestion. About 30,800 car crashes were reported in 2012, claiming the lives of about 22,912 drivers and passengers. Embracing self-driving vehicles will reduce the rate of automotive accidents and consequently improve mobility on state roads.

Car manufacturers and technology companies are coming together to ensure that they have systems that are working and holding positions as the leaders in self-driving cars technology. These companies intend to work with different regions and also create a lot of jobs.

Numerous states, including Texas, have approved autonomous vehicle testing on their roads because of the safety assurance they will bring about. These cars will also help the states improve the level of their economy because they will save about $99 billion annually that would have been spent in car crashes.

Autonomous Vehicle Regulations

Early last year, a policy was released updating the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's 2013 preliminary policy statement by the U.S. Department of Transportation regarding the safe operations of self-driving vehicles. Texas car insurance is among those that were updated to fit the requirements of autonomous vehicles.

With the anticipated increase in the number of autonomous vehicles on Texas's roads, regulations have to be in place to ensure that the manufacturers and operators of these cars are held liable in case an accident occurs.

Self-driving cars are expected to define the future of mobility on our roads. It is, therefore, expected that manufacturers, tech companies, and municipalities will come together to ensure appropriate technology is fitted in these cars and policies are set to monitor their operations so that safety is improved and traffic congestion eliminated.