The Google car technology could soon be made available to consumers all across the United States. Engineers hope the technology is going to be helpful in making sure that the number of accidents is contained. But what is the possible consequence of allowing the technology to be widely available?

Several experts have been giving their opinions about self-driving cars. While some believe that the technology may actually cause accidents due to the unpredictability of the system, others believe that eliminating the driver out of the equation will actually cause the number of crashes to drop considerably.

In spite of the risks that the technology may pose, others are claiming that another consequence of the implementation of the Google car—or self-driving technology— may be transformative to say the list, especially for the transportation industry.

According to a recent study, driverless car technology may cause vehicle ownership in the United States to drop considerably. But how did researchers get to that conclusion?

Google Cars Could Make Transportation More Efficient

The University of Michigan’s Transportation Research Institute is where the study took place. According to the reports, researchers analyzed data pertaining American car owners. The data was made available by the U.S. National Household Travel Survey. According to researchers, the car ownership rate could drop considerably mostly because of the implementation of Google car. Why? Because married couples will probably be able to drop one car and have all transportation needs being met by the driverless technology.

Once the robotic Google car takes over, older vehicles will be replaced for the robotic ones. Drivers won’t have to rely on their vehicles to go back and forth. According to researchers, the efficiency of the Google car could downsize the number of family cars while increasing the opportunity for households that cannot afford owning more than one car.

While it’s still early to know exactly what could happen, experts believe that once the technology becomes more affordable and popular, the reality of the car ownership in the U.S. may change for good.

Fewer Cars, Fewer Accidents?

Millions of Americans are dependent on public transportation or multiple vehicles to commute to work. Consumers who are able to share automated vehicles that do the job for them could also feel a major difference in their daily lives. This particular quality of the driverless technology could also cause the number of crashes to drop even among car owners who won’t adhere to the Google car technology.

Whether you believe that the features will still take too long to become a popular system or not, knowing that the system will soon be impacting how other car makers work and develop their vehicles should be enough to spark your attention.

If you’re a driver, however, do not wait for technology to make its way to you to be a more responsible driver. Safety starts with you. Focusing on the road ahead and making sure that you do not expose yourself or others to risks will help you to have a better driving experience.

For more on this story, follow this link.