Does Congress Really Think That Self-Driving Cars Will Spur Job Growth?

For some reason, this is what I got when I typed "self driving car" into our photo service. As you can see, it is neither self driving nor a car. However, there really is a bear in the sidecar, so I decided to use it anyway.Visual via ZUMA

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Kevin Roose reports on efforts in Washington to regulate self-driving cars:

It’s rare to find an issue with true bipartisan consensus in Washington. But self-driving cars have been praised by members of both parties, who see the technology as a way to spur job creation while preventing many of the roughly 40,000 motor vehicle deaths that occur on American roads each year. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 94 percent of traffic deaths involve human error, including distracted driving and driving while intoxicated.

The safety part I get. When they finally come, self-driving cars will almost certainly be safer than the 2-ton death machines that are currently piloted around our city streets by the texting/eating/singing/talking/shaving meat sacks that we laughingly refer to as sentient.

But job creation? How are self-driving cars going to spur job creation? Are we talking about the few thousand programmers and engineers who invent this stuff? Or what? Because when this technology becomes real, millions are going to lose their jobs as bus drivers, truck drivers, taxi drivers, and shuttle drivers.

What am I missing here?

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You've watched it happen in real time: corporate media cutting staff, killing stories, and bending to power. The giants of American media have owners to protect, and the truth pays the price.

None of it should surprise us. The problem with American journalism has always been that we entrusted this vital public service to for-profit companies whose allegiance could shift with the political winds and the bottom line.

That is why Mother Jones is independent from billionaires, corporations, and any other deep-pockets owner—and has been since we were founded 50 years ago. We’re only answering to our readers. To you.

We’re funded by our readers too. This week, we have a generous $50,000 match for all donations, meaning that your donation—and your impact—will be doubled. Gifts from readers like you help keep us fiercely independent and telling the truth about those in power.

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