Last Updated on 6 August 2026 by Paulo Anciaes
Post by Dr Stephen Watkins
The following letter appeared in The Guardian Weekly on 17th July 2026
Gabriel Stewart points out that driverless cars will make it possible for visually impaired people to use cars. (Driverless cars offer disabled people like me a different future, Opinion, 3 July). He is correct, but the problem is that, if all those currently unable to access cars take up this option, traffic levels will double, creating unacceptable congestion. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, however, has calculated that if driverless cars are used only on a shared basis, as part of a public transport system, mainly serving as feeders and filling in gaps, traffic demand could fall by 90%, thus eliminating the problem.