A War Against Self-Driving Cars Just Kicked Off in New York, But It Could Turn Into Grenada

A great philosopher once said that you can’t start a fire without a spark, followed by something about rhythmic movements in unlit spaces.

Well, if there’s a war brewing against autonomous technology and self-driving vehicles, the flashpoint might have occurred in New York — City and State — last week. A large trade group and labor union joined forces in denouncing the driverless scourge headed their way, with one of the groups angling for a 50-year-ban on the automotive heathens.

The Upstate Transportation Association, which represents private passenger transportation companies in the state, sees self-driving vehicles as an existential threat to its members’ livelihoods. It wants protection — ideally, five decades’ worth.

Just last week, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo gave the green light to ride-sharing services operating outside of New York City. Those services, be it Lyft or Uber, will be regulated by the state, rather than local governments. While both the UTA and Independent Drivers Guild, which represents for-hire drivers in NYC, are okay with ride-sharing, both are concerned about what that could bring.

Large ride-sharing companies just happen to be strong proponents of autonomous driving technology, and self-driving pilot projects are already springing up in cities like Pittsburgh and San Francisco. For some opponents, the companies are a Trojan Horse hiding hordes of robotic job killers. This, despite Uber promising the creation of 13,000 jobs in upstate New York.

“It doesn’t do anything for the local economy to have driverless cars,” UTA president John Tomassi told CNN. “I’m sure there’s a little bit of job creation, but nothing that will match the number of jobs lost.”

Cuomo hasn’t voiced a stance on self-driving vehicles, but the existing legislation “protecting” human-guided vehicles is full of holes. The IDG wants New York City to enforce state laws requiring the operator of a vehicle to keep one hand on the steering wheel. Still, because the law was crafted before autonomous technology, it might only apply to vehicles without self-driving capabilities.

The brewing war could fizzle overnight in the face of legal challenges from automakers and ride-sharing companies.

[Image: joiseyshowaa/ Flickr ( CC BY-SA 2.0)]