The automobile industry all over the world is warming up to the idea of driverless cars. After all, when on a drive, these cars take human emotions and errors out of the equation and so decrease the number of accidents taking place on the road. Driverless cars save up on travel as well as parking time and even drastically cut down greenhouse gas pollution.
This is why; substantial investment is made for their development and growth. According to experts, by the year 2020, there will be around 10 million self-driving cars hitting the road. However, this won’t be happening in India.
Why are Driverless Cars a No-No for India?
1.Issue of Unemployment
According to India’s Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, India won’t see driverless cars traverse Indian roads as letting technology take over people’s jobs can raise the level of unemployment in the state. Since the government of India is focussing on creating more employment opportunities, the minister doesn’t think bringing driverless cars into the picture serves the purpose.
Although this does hold a certain amount of truth, especially for those people who are not equipped with any other skill or qualification, many individuals beg to differ. Providing greater access to skill development, education and employability training serve as better long-term solutions for the issue of unemployment rather than curtailing technological advancement.
2. Indian roads are Crowded
It has also been stated that the roads in India are overcrowded, disfigured by potholes and flocked by vehicles and animals alike. It is not an uncommon sight to witness vehicles zig-zagging haphazardly. Combine this with poor driving etiquette, and what we get is a risky scenario.
It will take years of training and conditioning, before India can think about driverless cars that come with little or no human intervention to zoom over its roads.
Will the Indian Government’s Decision Impact the Indian Auto Industry?
In many parts of the world, driverless cars are all the rage, but India is not likely to emerge as a primary adopter of this technology to take you to and from places. When one of the world’s largest economies that are also the world’s second most populous country stands against the entry of driverless cars, it does affect the sentiments of the Indian auto industry. It's because it comes with its share of economic and environmental implications.
Driverless cars also affect the auto insurance industry. Since driverless cars depend on technology, it decreases the chance of accidents. It's a great concept, but it may not be a good sign for insurance companies as insurance premiums rely on errors caused by the driver.
Ultimately, like two sides of a coin, there are positive and negative effects of introducing driverless cars. For now, the decision already seems to be made by the Indian government, but only time will tell whether it affects the country and the auto industry favourably or unfavourably.