Diners, drive-ins and driverless cars

It was an honour to be asked to contribute to The Scotsman on the future of cars and road transport as part of its 200 Voices anniversary celebration:  “After 53,220 editions, over one million pages, five offices, nine owners and 26 editors, The Scotsman newspaper  has reached its 200th anniversary. To celebrate this achievement we have launched 200 Voices, a year-long initiative to bring to life the past, present and future of Scotland through the voices of remarkable people.”

When I was a teenager, I made sure I had a driver’s licence as soon as I was old enough. It gave me freedom. It got me to school easily. It got me a part-time job. Best of all, it allowed me to hang out at a local diner on Friday nights, ­trying to impress a cool older boy who basically ignored me. What could be better?

Fast forward and future teens will get all that freedom and more without having to lay a hand on the steering wheel thanks to driverless cars with onboard computers and sophisticated sensors acting as virtual chauffeurs.

Read the full article here

Caroline