A large number of companies are nervous about the adaptation of self-driving vehicles, and how it will affect the industries where they reside. On the individual scale, nine–to–fivers have mixed emotions concerning the trade-offs of safety and convenience of the technology. Whatever you believe, I am here to present you with  possible ways self-driving cars can enrich our day-to-day lives.

Cleaner Cities

I live in New York City, one of the greatest cities on the planet. But, it’s also one of the dirtiest. Although pollution has been more bearable as of late, walking down the streets of a city and getting a blast of CO2 in your face isn’t pleasant. But what does this have to do with self-driving cars? Autonomous technology is right up with there with electric engines when it comes to innovation in the automotive industry. So, it’s safe to assume that if your car can drive itself, it will most likely be electric (or hybrid). This means no more CO2 blasting in your face, which leads me to my next point.

Quieter Cities

Since most cars on the road will be electric or hybrid, the sounds of revving engines echoing throughout the concrete jungle will be a thing of the past. What could be better than that? How about no more yelling and honking EVERY THREE SECONDS. Self-driving cars would ultimately take the driver out of the picture. No more persistent taxi-honking and no more locals cursing at lost tourists.

More Pleasant Mass Transit

As I eluded to above, self-driving cars could potentially put taxi services out of business. However, companies like Uber are getting ahead of the game. Uber plans to purchase thousands of Tesla’s autonomous vehicles and turn them into a fleet of self-driving taxis. For the consumer, it would be as easy as opening an app on your phone and requesting a car that comes right to you. You put in your destination and off you go. Once you arrive, your account is automatically billed. End of transaction. But, self-driving taxis opens up the opportunity for self-driving buses, too. Buses that arrive more frequently and on time. Self-driving technology can’t just be thrown into all types of mass transit, but what it can do is lessen their burden. Subways will have less peak traffic from commuters who decide to take the bus or their self-driving car instead.

Faster Commutes

If I asked you what’s the main cause of traffic, you’d probably say other people. Well, you’re right. That handy gif above gives a valuable example of what causes traffic and,  in turn, long commutes.  Essentially, you remove the people you remove the traffic. A feature of self-driving cars that is often overlooked is their ability to talk to one another. All self-driving cars will know which cars on the road are autonomous and will subsequently “link” up with them, creating long “trains” of cars on highways. This keeps everyone going the same speed and allows faster cars to overpass with ease.

Nomadic Vacations

Self-driving cars will do more than just make your work-life simpler. Vacations are about to get out-of-control, almost literally. Personally, I love road trips. To me, it’s about the journey, not the destination. But for everyone else they can have a self-driving car take them anywhere, that has a road. This makes vacations more comfortable. You can read on your way, watch movies, talk to people in the car; it’s up to your imagination. With the advancement of self-driving cars comes the potential for other self-driving vehicles. Including self-driving RVs, which would make road trips even more pleasant.

Although self-driving vehicles have the potential to improve our lives, it also can make the lives of others miserable. Emerging technologies usually result in the removal of industries from society. Companies in those industries employ hundreds of thousands of people who would be left without a job. Responsibility and empathy are important aspects to keep in mind when replacing an old technology with a new one. Remember, what makes your life easier might make someone else’s harder.