Community Corner

POLL: Do You Want a Self-Driving Car?

One automaker vows it will sell a driverless car by 2020. Experts believe autonomous vehicles could account for almost all automotive sales by 2050.

By Patch Editor Kristi Reed

The day in which you hop in your car, kick back and read email or surf the web while your vehicle takes you to work may be closer than you think.

Nissan expects to sell a driverless car by 2020, according to CNN Money, and Fox News reports autonomous vehicles could account for nearly all automotive sales by 2050. Not convinced the technology will be available that quickly? Think again. Just this past week, Audi debuted a prototype self-driving car at the Consumer Electronic Show.

Early versions of this technology have been around for several years. Google's self-driving Prius is just one example of technological progress in the field and several automakers already offer various forms of computer-aided driving assistance, such as intelligent parking, emergency braking and steering assist.  

Still, will consumers be willing to turn over control of their vehicle to a computer? Before the transition to fully automated vehicles, cars will likely share driving responsibilities with their human owners, CNN reports. At some point though, totally automated vehicles are expected become the norm.

Would you be willing to relinquish control of your vehicle to a computer? Are you comfortable with the idea of self-driving cars? Let us know in the comments or vote in our poll

Note: This is not a scientific poll. It is for entertainment purposes only.

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