See what a high band reads like.

P1Many experts predict that self-driving cars will become a common sight on our roads within the next ten years. This prospect brings notable advantages as well as serious disadvantages, both of which merit attention.

P2The potential benefits are considerable. Because most accidents result from human mistakes such as speeding, distraction, or tiredness, vehicles controlled by software that never loses concentration could make roads markedly safer and save thousands of lives each year. Autonomous cars would also give freedom of movement to people unable to drive, including the elderly and those with disabilities, and could reduce congestion by communicating with one another to maintain a smooth, steady flow of traffic. Passengers, meanwhile, would be free to work, rest, or read during journeys that are currently dead time.

P3The disadvantages, however, are real. The software could be hacked or could malfunction in unexpected situations, with dangerous results, and millions of professional drivers, of taxis, buses, and lorries, could lose their livelihoods. There are also unresolved legal and moral questions about who is to blame when an autonomous vehicle is involved in a crash, and many people may simply be reluctant to surrender control to a machine they do not fully understand. The vehicles are likely to be expensive when they first appear, too, putting them beyond the reach of ordinary families for years.