How driverless cars will transform the economy
Author Chunka Mui says driverless cars will transform a $2 trillion economy and save hundreds of billion of dollars because of fewer accidents.
"We saw stuff that made us a little nervous," Chris Urmson of Google told the Times.
So Urmson and his team are trying to keep us from making bad driving decisions or from not making any decisions when we should.
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Admittedly, we're a long ways from having completely autonomous cars drive us around America. Still, the potential is enormous.
Honestly, I'm a good driver
Here's why the Google prototype will scare many people: nobody wants to admit they are a bad driver. In fact, most people say they are good drivers. The type of driver who can make split-second decisions when faced with a potential emergency.
Give me a break. All of us have been in situations where we were forced to react quickly behind the wheel and in many cases we didn't.
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Why?
We're not fast enough. Not only that, many of us are distracted making phone calls, texting, eating, or doing a lot of things other than driving.
That's why the new Google prototype is intriguing. It offers us a glimpse of what life could be like if we were saved from making poor choices when driving.
Questions? Comments? BehindTheWheel@cnbc.com.