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June 20, 2018 02:00 AM

Column: Sign me up for a self-driving car

Chris Sweeney
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    Chris Sweeney

    My life revolves around driving.

    Most of you know me as the news editor of Rubber & Plastics News, but I have a confession to make: I live a double life. No, I'm not Batman, I cover high school sports for a local daily newspaper. It's a fun way to make a little extra cash.

    The problem is most of my assignments are far away. And all that driving takes a toll, not just because I drive the turnpike. It drains my day, especially during the crazy months of football and basketball when some nights I go right from RPN to the field, maybe a quick dinner along the way. I'm compensated for my mileage, but driving is the biggest time suck in the world. Add it all up, and it comes out to a lot of play lists.

    As much as I love listening to music, if I could find a way to get things done—or just relax—during those drives, they'd be way more bearable. Maybe even productive. To the point where I could write my story and file it by the time I pull into my apartment complex.

    Sign me up for a self-driving car.

    Obviously, the industry has a long way to go before I can get my yoga on during a 50-minute commute, but look closely and these cars already on the road today, being tested in select U.S. cities. And if I've learned one thing during my five years here it's this: Don't bet against engineers. They're pretty smart and there are millions of them tackling this very problem. With billions—possibly trillions (cue the Dr. Evil laugh)—on the line, it's only a matter of time before OEMs and suppliers figure it out

    Leo Michael

    Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't jump right in. I don't need to be the first. And there's going to be a rough transition as the fleet churns from legacy vehicles to fully autonomous. I want no part of that. Besides, Congress might still be writing the AV Start Act by the time I celebrate my 20th anniversary at RPN, and the price of this technology is going to have to come down drastically if I'm ever going to own one.

    But I'm definitely not one who needs to drive. It's fun, but gets boring, and more importantly can be stressful with all the wackos on the road. If the future is full-fledged Minority Report—a great futuristic movie where every car drives itself, they also arrest you before you've done anything wrong…maybe leave that part out—I'm in.

    Sweeney is the news editor at Rubber & Plastics News. He can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @CSweeneyRPN.

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