the robo memoirs (Part 1)

March 2091, Old World

Today we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the last manually operated vehicle. It’s hard to believe that mankind persisted over 200 years in driving cars themselves. Clearly, this is a stupid idea. Just imagine how ridiculous it is to allow a human being to operate a car. Like, you know … those humans may be tired, may be intoxicated, they might have had a fight with one of their loved ones, or they just had a bad day. And then. Allowing the water-bags to command 1t+ of metal and drive 100 km/h or more, not having the reflexes nor the concentration to maintain a safe and reliable operation of said vehicle for a longer period of time. Oh well.

It started out in the late 2020s when EVs became the predominant type of cars sold and used. By 2032, a vast majority of the commercial transportation on the road, including food delivery, oil, waste management, etc. was converted to autonomous driving. Interestingly, urban areas showed a somewhat heterogeneous picture: there were many water-bags who essentially didn’t want or need a car. At the same time there were those who insisted on their freedom to command their car and self-operate it at any time, taking them to any place. This led to comical situations: water-bags driving an hour to the gym to exercise there. Go figure.

In any instance, it took another 30+ years to phase out the human-operated cars, mostly unrelated to the capabilities of the AV cars. Already in 2045 a global study conducted in the Old World showed that autonomous cars are 130% safer and more reliable than water-bags—in any situation. This didn’t convince the remaining humans to give up their beloved car. So, only in 2066, the last human-operated car was registered to be scrapped and found its place in the Global Car museum. Just imaging how many human lifes could have been saved if the water-bags wouldn’t be so darn stubborn …