On August 17, 1896, Mrs. Bridget Driscoll became the first person to die from a car accident.
She was hit by Arthur Edsell, who was employed by the Anglo-French Motor company at the time.
Almost two years later, on February 12, 1898, Mr. Henry Lindfield died from injuries related to a car accident when his “electric carriage” overturned.
And on February 25, 1899, James Stanley Richer became the first car passenger to die in a car accident after taking part in a vehicle demonstration.
By the end of that year, a total of 26 people had died from a motor vehicle-related death.
There was a bit of an outcry over those deaths, but of course, most folks at that time still didn’t fully understand the technology or where it would ultimately lead us.
And not to sound crass, but history is filled with examples of injuries and deaths related to new technologies, yet those deaths and injuries did not impede progress. We didn’t stop making cars. And that’s a good thing.
Now, keep that truism in mind as we fast-forward to today, to a time where even newer, more technologically superior transportation options are now set to replace internal combustion engines and even drivers.
Self-Driving Cars ARE the Future
There’s only one major automaker today that’s actively testing autopilot features, which one day will allow most drivers to become passengers… and that’s Tesla.
Now, we’re still early in the development of this technology, and to be sure, it’s not an independent autopilot system. Active driver supervision is still required, thereby making the vehicle not fully autonomous.
That being said, hundreds of Tesla drivers have been able to use this system without any problems at all. Moreover, this system has already helped save dozens of lives and avoid car accidents. But you won’t hear about those stories because they don’t deliver the kind of clickbait required to keep the mainstream media alive.
Instead, you’ll hear about how the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is now probing a Tesla autopilot crash that resulted in the deaths of three people.
The far left has decided it’s more important for the Tesla CEO to use proper pronouns and get vaccinated than it is to pursue a technology that will ultimately make the world a better, safer place.
Of course, no death is trivial, but we have to be pragmatic here.
I mean, just look at this tweet…
This is not uncommon commentary from the far left, either.
It’s actually become quite ubiquitous and quite absurd.
They’re so focused on denouncing this guy that they’re willing to overlook a technology he’s developed that will ultimately save millions of lives.
According to the Department of Transportation, fully autonomous vehicles could reduce traffic fatalities by up to 94% by eliminating accidents due to human error.
Ninety-four percent!
And to be fair, Tesla has been very transparent about what its autopilot technology is capable of at this point too.
Here’s a segment of the Autopilot instructions that are shared with Tesla owners:
While using Autopilot, it is your responsibility to stay alert, keep your hands on the steering wheel at all times, and maintain control of your car. Many of our Autopilot features, like Autosteer, Navigate on Autopilot, and Summon, are disabled by default. To enable them, you must go to the Autopilot Controls menu within the Settings tab and turn them on.
Before enabling Autopilot, the driver first needs to agree to “keep your hands on the steering wheel at all times” and to always “maintain control and responsibility for your vehicle.” Subsequently, every time the driver engages Autopilot, they are shown a visual reminder to “keep your hands on the wheel."
But it just doesn’t seem to matter these days because no matter what Musk does, his contributions to the betterment of the planet and society will always be trumped by how he’s not “woke” enough.
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Can you imagine if all this nonsense existed back when the Wright brothers were building airplanes or when the first locomotives were being built?
Can you imagine if all this nonsense existed when the first power lines were being built or the first container ship set sail in 1956?
Look, I understand the need to conduct investigations and monitor safety protocols when it comes to developing new technologies, but it can’t be at the expense of progress.
Fortunately, progress always wins.
I can assure you, nothing is going to derail the transportation revolution we’re witnessing today, and that includes the development of autonomous vehicles, which will very likely be what most of us will be using in 20–30 years.
I know some folks may read those words and shake their heads.
But let me remind you that it was nearly 20 years ago when we here at Energy and Capital were writing about opportunities in everything from fracking and renewable energy to electric cars and legal cannabis.
Those who followed our advice and not the snarky comments of armchair analysts and naysayers made absolute fortunes.
Let me assure you, we take much pride in that.
And make no mistake: We’re not slowing down.
Truth is, we’ll always bring you the kind of cutting-edge intel that puts you light-years ahead of the knuckle-draggers on Wall Street because that’s just what we do.
In fact, I just put together a new research report unveiling a new type of power-generation technology that’s no bigger than a business card but can supply every building in New York City with enough power to keep the lights on 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
It’s a new development in nanoscale energy technology, and there’s only one company that’s actually getting ready to deploy it in the field.
That company is public, and you can learn more about its technology, as well as its ticker symbol, here.
To a new way of life and a new generation of wealth…
Jeff Siegel
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Jeff is the founder and managing editor of Green Chip Stocks. For more on Jeff, go to his editor’s page.
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