Could Blind People Drive Within Five Years?

A Toyota Prius, outfitted to drive itself
LAST YEAR Google unveiled its driver-less car.  In 2011, Nevada became the first state to legalize cars which ostensibly steer themselves.  Florida followed suit in 2012.

As we careen into the future, problems like blindness (or many other illnesses that prevent someone from driving, such as limb loss or tetriplegia) will have less and less bearing on the mobility, and thus, the independence of these people.  The advances being made in the auto industry, by Google in particular, have a certain meaning to a part of society that may not seem as drastic as it is.

When I was thirteen years old I found out that I would never be able to drive.  It didn't affect me then, and I'm happy I knew at that age, rather than when I went to apply for a driver's license, say.  But, growing up was different because of this.  I never took a girl on a date in high school.  Now, can I blame this one problem exclusively, over the fact that I was an insufferable teenage monster?  No, certainly not.  But, I can assess that my freedom as a sixteen-year-old was vastly impacted by it, and if I'd had the ability to leave the house whenever I wanted (which still may not have been granted), things might have been different for me.

That's not to complain.  I love where my life has taken me.  I'm happy with where I am and what I have, and frankly, the poor soul I would've dated in high school would have been so scarred by terrible jokes and annoying complaints that she would've held that against me and I might've just had an assassin on my tail to this day.

No, my days growing up were definitely hampered by the inability to move.  I was relegated to relying on friends to drive me here or there.  Any concerts I ever went to, I had to go with a friend because the buses stop running by the time any concert is over.

My future car
In my adult life, it's easier.  Not just because my delightful girlfriend is willing to drive my (practically) anywhere, but because I have learned the ins and outs of the public transit system and, frankly, I enjoy walking.  Not out of spite, or out of some obligation.  I have just grown to genuinely enjoying walking five or six miles.

So, the excitement of a car which can drive itself is a pretty amazing prospect to me.  I see the generations ahead of mine being able to adjust a little bit more easily to the awkward life of not being able to see very well.  The dream of getting in your car and driving to the beach on a whim.  To sing as loud as you want driving down the freeway, blasting your stereo.  It's a weird facet of the American dream, but it's a real one.  It's one I think all young people (and old people) should be able to enjoy.

Also, I want a Mustang.

For further reading, I recommend this article on the benefits and potential risks, on BBC's website.

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