Having read your comments re: benefits of driverless cars for persons whose vision disqualifies them from driving, what realisitic time frame do you see for the technology to be available for this group? My 20-year-daughter has bilateral optic nerve atrophy and would have her quality -of- life much improved by this advancement but I’m hesitant to mention it to her if the likelihood of its practical application reaching fruition in the near future is slight. Look forward to your response. Thanks.
It is hard to predict when this technology will be approved for mass consumption. I would follow the Google updates for news about the driverless car’s progress. One thing that may be a problem for people like your daughter: initially, the DMV will likely require that the human “driver/passenger” have a valid driver’s license to take over in case the car malfunctions. In the future, when the technology becomes proven as reliable and safe, I hope that the requirements for a full and unrestricted driver’s license will be removed for travel in a autonomous vehicle. This is when these cars will be of great benefit to the visually impaired.
VisionMD
Having read your comments re: benefits of driverless cars for persons whose vision disqualifies them from driving, what realisitic time frame do you see for the technology to be available for this group? My 20-year-daughter has bilateral optic nerve atrophy and would have her quality -of- life much improved by this advancement but I’m hesitant to mention it to her if the likelihood of its practical application reaching fruition in the near future is slight. Look forward to your response. Thanks.
It is hard to predict when this technology will be approved for mass consumption. I would follow the Google updates for news about the driverless car’s progress. One thing that may be a problem for people like your daughter: initially, the DMV will likely require that the human “driver/passenger” have a valid driver’s license to take over in case the car malfunctions. In the future, when the technology becomes proven as reliable and safe, I hope that the requirements for a full and unrestricted driver’s license will be removed for travel in a autonomous vehicle. This is when these cars will be of great benefit to the visually impaired.