The greater good?

Inattentive driving is one of the biggest threats on the nation’s highways. Local and national programs are spotlighting the dangers.

Still, at the same time autonomous cars are being pushed. A recent Cadillac commercial shows a driver behind the wheel of his new Cadillac with his arms folded. Another shows a man drinking a pop. The tagline taunts Tesla.

Uber and others are testing autonomous vehicles. In fact, just on Monday a woman in Tempe, Arizona was killed by a driverless Uber car. This was not the first fatality or injury from the experimental vehicles. The Uber car had a “co-pilot,” a human who was to take control in case of problems. Apparently, this person was inattentive as well.

We all know of the imperfections of technology. Even the least advanced can go awry. Ford Motor Company, for instance, is recalling more than one million vehicles because the steering wheel can come off.

Driverless automobiles may be in our future. Ever since the Jetsons cartoons, people have become accustomed, and even excited, about the idea of them.

Tesla, General Motors, Amazon, Ford and others are all running to be the first. Forbes Magazine urged caution in the race to market with these vehicles.

With the safety of the general public at stake, the rush must be tempered with good sense and caution. In the meantime, those without such vehicles need to pay even more attention. There might be a driverless car with you in its sights. At least, testing the current technology is somewhat limited. Few states allow driverless cars. Arizona loosened its requirements for driverless technology to get the business, not a particularly enlightened reason.

The benefits of this new technology are also dubious. The greater good may not come from these cars.

Research might be better spent on people-friendly public transportation, saving salmon and dams, eliminating gun violence, slowing global warming or the myriad of other problems facing us.

Being able to read a book or text while “driving” just doesn’t seem all that urgent or the best contribution to society.

Besides, a lot of drivers already do such things without an autonomous car.

Gordon Forgey, Publisher