Most people would put self-driving cars in their vision of the future and many companies are currently working to make that a reality, even companies like Google, which isn’t a conventional car manufacturer. Google recently showed off its self-driving car prototype but no one knows when it will actually hit the roads. The FBI isn’t too excited though. In a restricted report the FBI believes that self-driving cars may be used as “lethal weapons.”
The Guardian obtained this unclassified but restricted report which predicts that such vehicles “will have a high impact on transforming what both law enforcement and its adversaries can operationally do with a car.”
The report has a section called Multitasking which reads that “bad actors” will be able to conduct tasks that require taking eyes off the road or using both hands easily since the car would drive itself. A chilling scenario could involve suspects shooting at their pursuers while the car makes the getaway on its own.
Self-driving cars are programmed to obey the rules of the road but the FBI fears that criminals might override these safety features. The report also talks about the possibility of these vehicles being used as self-driving bombs by terrorists.
But its not all doom and gloom. FBI does note in the report that these cars will help reduce the number of road accidents as they essentially eliminate the human factor of distraction or poor judgement that often leads to accidents. The FBI believes that Congress will approve use of self-driving cars for the public in the next five to seven years.
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