Drivers in McHenry area sound off on self-driving cars

The late-model car in your McHenry driveway has come a long way. Most likely, it gets better gas mileage and performance than its predecessor from a decade or two ago. One change that has been coming is the idea that you could have a self-driving car out in that driveway.

GM makes its Cruise Automation car with self-driving technology. Daimler Intelligent Drive is the Mercedes Benz entry into the market of cars that drive themselves. Ford’s partnership with Argo has given us the Argo AI. Then we have BMW’s Aptiv. Volkswagen and Audi have teamed up to give us the Traffic Jam Pilot for “autonomous driving at highway speeds (not available in the U.S.).” Then there’s the Waymo that originated as a Google project.

Lifewire Tech for Humans online site compliments Waymo as having “Fewer accidents than competitors.” GM’s Cruise Automation is knocked in the article for having “more accidents than other competitors” and “only work(ing) on approved highways.”

The Daimler entry is credited for an “Intelligent Drive system (that is) almost self-driving,” which comes across as a little confusing in a discussion about ‘self-driving vehicles.’

Whether or when manufacturers work out all the kinks with ‘self-driving’ vehicles, one consideration they can’t avoid is whether there is a market for cars that do the driving.

While some might expect attitudes to change based on the generation of the person you ask, when drivers in the McHenry area were asked, the responses seemed to straddle the generational divide.

Jill, from Georgia, said she wouldn’t spend money on a self-driving care. “Too expensive,” she said. “And I love my 11-year-old Honda Civic.”

Mike, a grey-haired gentleman from Woodstock, said, “I would buy a self-driving car but would be very cautious about putting it in self-driving mode. Until the computer can identify potholes, an accident up ahead, a tree falling in a storm or black ice, I think you need to drive your own car.”

He said he drives about 30,000 miles per year. “I’ve always driven. I like to drive.”

Stephanie, an English teacher from Cary, said, “I love technology but it makes me nervous because there are so many factors that go into driving in a busy community.”

She said she has kids and worries about kids, her own as well as others, near the roadway.

“I don’t know how well they (self-driving cars) will react to the unpredictability of other drivers. My dad said my job is to be a defensive driver.” She worried that self-driving cars wouldn’t necessarily be as defensive on the roads.

Nick and Drew are younger drivers who responded to questions about self-driving cars.

“In terms of electric cars, I think they’re good. It’s cool technology,” he said. “But I enjoy driving.”

Drew said she probably wouldn’t buy a self-driving car because of the price. But she added, “There’s the option to drive the car and the option to not drive the car. But (even in self-driving mode) you still have to be aware of what’s going on.”

Nick said he thinks it’s a novelty, something to show to your friends but then to go back to driving yourself. He said he likes driving. “I think it’s relaxing.”

Whether someone has a self-driving car in their McHenry driveway or not, one thing about self-driving cars hasn’t changed from other cars; maintenance is still critical.

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