Flying Cars? Oh No!
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Flying car… this one is more plane than car (Photo credit: wbaiv)
There has been a lot of futuristic talk about flying cars. Some people feel that would be the greatest thing since sliced bread, but not me. Though flying cars seem like a great way to alleviate traffic congestion they’re really not.
The Potential Dangers of Flying Cars
On the ground, roads serve as designated, clearly visible driving zones to all motorists. Up in the air it traffic zones would be extremely difficult to establish and control. How would you create “air highways”? Without them, anyone could just fly anywhere they please. At least ground highways have marked lanes and stop lights. Can you have these things up in the air?
If a great percentage of the population owned a flying car, there would be a lot of air traffic as well. Likewise there would be hundreds, if not thousands of accidents happening daily nationwide. Inattentive or distracted drivers would not only collide with others, but strike objects as power lines, buildings, trees, etc. Hence the number of traffic fatalities would greatly soar.
Now think about negligent drivers. Some drive while intoxicated or phone texting, contributing greatly to accidents. Imagine motorists doing these things up in the air? People would collide or broadside other drivers. Even those who devote their total attention to the wheel would still find it difficult to prevent accidents. Collisions would damage all vehicles involved, forcing them to land to the ground, killing all passengers and possibly destroying the ground property below them and injuring people on site.
What about the weather? A bright sunny day may seem like the best day to fly, but without sun glasses or other types of shields it may be hard to spot other drivers. Rain, snow, or hail storms would also make visibility difficult, not to mention fog.
How Safety May Be Enforced
How can safety be enforced in the air? Would flying police cars do the trick? How do you pull over a driver who is violating a traffic law? Possibly, a cop can force a driver to land and pull them over on the ground, but that may be difficult too. How would policemen find law-breaking drivers? Likewise, drivers flying too close to airports may hinder flights taking off or landing. Perhaps, flying cars would not be allowed in urban areas.
Imagine automotive insurance for air born drivers. Insurance rates for those who possess flying cars would be exorbitant. So high, that very few could afford it. If rates were low, so many people would be flying and the amount of insurance and medical claims would spiral out of control. Those attempting to fly without insurance would incur greater expenses to insured motorists and themselves. Unless one has completed a special driver’s course, they should not be able to obtain insurance.
What do you think? Should drivers be allowed to operate flying cars? Personally, I feel cars belong strictly on the ground.
Related articles
- If I Only Had a Flying Car (wiredcosmos.com)
- Flying car completes Phase One flight tests (earthsky.org)
- American flying car soars in test flight (toddlohenry.com)
- Terrafugia flying car completes first phase of flight testing (gizmag.com)
- fly {cars} (nonchalantgreen.wordpress.com)
