Uber Everywhere?

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Uber has released a small fleet of self-driving Ford Fusions on to the streets of Pittsburgh.

Last week, Uber tested out their new vehicles in a pilot program in Pittsburgh. Several individuals were given permission to ride in these cars, but upon the car’s arrival, they noticed that there were already two people inside. This is because the “autonomous” vehicles are not quite cool yet. Each self-driving car came with two Uber employees, one vehicle technician, and one safety driver that can take over at anytime he or she thinks the car might not be able to react. The tech is there for any software malfunctions.

Now what does this mean for the future of our human Uber drivers? Well, the self-driving car seems to have issues with some environmental factors such as snow, vegetation, and bridges. Snow is a problem because it covers and obstructs the lines in the road, confusing the car on where it should be. Vegetation starts to become a problem because the cars can’t recognize their surroundings. Danielle Muoio of Business Insider writes, “When Uber first started mapping routes in Pittsburgh, it did so in the winter when there were no leaves on the trees. That confused the car when it started driving in spring, because suddenly those landmarks looked a lot different from the map version.” Another problem with self-driving cars is that they don’t know how to cope with the chaotic nature of human driving and all of the crazy happenings behind the wheel. If a human driver breaks the law, confusing the logic of the self-driving vehicle, the car might not know how to react to this, possibly causing an accident. As you can see, the job as an Uber driver will be around for a lot longer than you think.

Many Americans wonder if self-driving cars will better or worsen our daily lives; for more of a hysterical take on the subject you might want to check out The Onion’s “The Pros And Cons Of Self-Driving Cars.” In all seriousness, when asked, “How do you feel in regards to your safety with Uber’s new invention of self-driving public transportation?” Jessica Cox replied, “I feel like they are aliens that want to eat us. So unsafe. No, actually I think that the thought is cool, but that the cars will become unreliable and dangerous very quickly.”

The Ford Fusions that hit the road last week will not be the only model of self-driving car; Uber will also be providing Volvo XC90’s with the technology. The XC90 was ranked Business Insider’s car of the year for 2015. This car is a great, safe choice on Uber’s part. This vehicle comes with “XC90’s ‘Safe Positioning’ feature, part of the vehicle’s Intellisafe suite of technologies, aims to prevent severe injury or death in road-departure accidents, which account for roughly half of all traffic fatalities in the U.S. When the vehicle detects it’s leaving the road, the seatbelts are tightened and remain tight while the vehicle is in motion, keeping occupants securely in their seats” (Ron Kiino for Motortrend). Any passenger aboard one of these self-driving cars should feel safe and comfortable knowing that Uber picked an outstanding vehicle for their users. The Volvo XC90 also offers an “offroad mode,” in which the Volvo offers up to 10.5 inches of ground clearance, 1.2 inches higher than the usual 9.3 inches.

Whether you are an Uber driver, a frequent Uber user, or just another concerned safe driver on the road, you can rest assured knowing that Uber isn’t taking your job. Uber has picked a wonderful safe car to transport you and your family, and they have excellent technology to help keep our streets safe.