By Greg Tasker
Will highways of the future be swarming solely with autonomous or self-driving cars, trucks, transit buses and motorcoaches? Is the thrill of driving the open road fading from American culture?
As states pass laws to allow testing of autonomous vehicles and encourage their development, and autonomous shuttles already operate in some cities, movements are popping up to keep humans—as well as robots—in the driver’s seat. Some movements are focused on driving fun, others on the jobs.
“There’s a presumption out there that the automobiles of the future will be driving themselves,” says McKeel Hagerty, CEO of Michigan-based Hagerty Insurance, the largest insurer of classic cars in the country. “But there are a lot of people who love driving. The purpose of the road is not just for commuting. It never has been.”
Hagerty Insurance has emerged as one of the leading advocates for ensuring that humans continue to remain behind the wheel and heed that call of the open road. Hagerty has launched an initiative called “Why Driving Matters” to organize and amplify the voices of car lovers when it comes to the creation of future driving laws.
“One of our goals will be to work with policymakers so that years or even decades from now when the bulk of cars are fully autonomous, the act of driving is protected,” Hagerty says. “We also want to facilitate the discussion about what driving looks like in the future. Will driving someday be mostly a suburban activity? Will there be driving parks or experience centers? Will cars that drive themselves increase interest in the analog experience of driving yourself at times? We suspect so but now’s the time to have those conversations.”
No one disagrees with the oft-talked benefits autonomous and connected vehicles offer society, including fewer accidents and fatalities on the nation’s roadways, less congestion in big cities and suburban areas and mobility for those who cannot drive for various reasons, including physical disabilities and age.
But Hagerty Insurance isn’t the only one raising questions about the future of driving in America. There are groups such as The Human Driving Association, which launched in January 2018 and has about 4,000 members. Public transit unions also are rallying to retain their jobs and what they contend are public safety issues. Among those, the Transport Workers Union of America has formed a statewide coalition to stop autonomous buses from hitting Ohio’s streets.
“The bus operator is an integral part of urban America,” says John Samuelson, TWU International President. “They’re a crime deterrent. They stop people from being mugged every single day on the bus in this country. We’ve had bus operators drive pregnant women directly to the emergency room because the water broke on the bus. These are the things that hit home for the working people in America.”
It may be less an issue for the passengers and drivers of motorcoaches, which are already using high levels of automation, including cruise control, lane departure and forward collision warnings.
“We may be one generation away from people no longer owning cars … cars running around and picking up and taking people places will be here before he know it,” says Ken Presley, Vice President, Legislative and Regulatory Affairs and Industry Relations/COO for the United Motorcoach Association. “If they’re already riding in automated cars, are they really going to be hesitant to get on a bus?”
At a recent SEMA meeting in Las Vegas, a panel discussion about self-driving cars turned into a discussion about the joy of driving and questions about whether future generations will know how or want to drive.
“There was a lot of interest in the subject,” says Larry Edsall, editor of ClassicCars.com who attended the event. “I think there is a consensus out there that young people do want to drive. There are some that don’t, but there are older people who don’t want to drive either. There are statistics out there showing that millennials and Gen X are more involved in the classic car marketplace than baby boomers. “There’s a lot of interest in what’s going on,” he adds.
What advocates like Hagerty and others want to see is the continued freedom to drive. That passion, according to recent survey conducted by Hagerty, is more pervasive than the buzz about autonomous vehicles might lead people to believe. The survey polled 1,000 drivers 18 years and older on the rapid rise in autonomous vehicle technology.
Among other things, the survey found that 79 percent of all generations are passionate about, love or like driving. Eighty-five percent said driving is an important part of American culture, and 71 percent said driving is often even when they’re not driving for fun.
On the subject of autonomous vehicles, the survey found that more than 85 percent of people will always want the option of driving a car themselves and 79 percent aren’t willing to see driving disappear. Sixty-six percent didn’t think automation has to threaten the benefits of driving.
For Hagerty, there is a greater question being posed, one well above and beyond the thrill of driving. What value do self-driving vehicles bring to human society?
“What things remain in times of tremendous change?” Hagerty asks. “Horses still exist after the upheaval with cars in the early 1900s. Vinyl is coming back after years of other [modes] of music. People are raising chickens. There’s an explosion of craft beer. Is there something else going on that we’re not talking about?
“Part of it is what makes us happy, what adds to the experience of life.”
Does driving still appeal? Hagerty polled 1,000 drivers with an even mix of generations. The survey found:
- 79% of all respondents from all generations are passionate about, love or like driving
- 85% said driving is an important part of American culture
- 81% said learning to drive a car is a rite of passage worth preserving
- 71% said driving is often fun even when they’re not driving for fun
- 70% said driving is “time for myself”
- 61% said driving was often a positive emotional experience
- 59% said driving is a form of stress release
- 77% agree they’d rather drive themselves on an open winding road
[Jillian L1]I feel like there’s a word missing here?
