New findings have indicated that the annual production of the self-driving vehicles will increase significantly. In 2020, only a few thousands of these vehicles will be manufactured, but that production will surge to more than 14.5 million by 2025. Although a self-driving car is quickly becoming a reality, regulators and the public have not yet come to terms with giving up driving control entirely.

The research is according to Juniper Research, identifying that the adoption of autonomous vehicle technology is prepared to accelerate over the next several years as a result of environmental pressures, rapid developments in technology and increasingly strict vehicle safety specifications.

The research study also identified that driverless vehicles will have a significant impact on transportation around the world and could even lead to entire professions of drivers being made redundant. Taxi services within cities are expected to become one of the early adopters of driverless vehicles. However, the self-driving car industry still has a lot of work to do with regard to their public relation campaign. The first ever fatality in an autonomous vehicle occurred recently and so the companies developing this technology are responsible for convincing the public that these vehicles are safe.

A self-driving car could help alert drivers to problems in the road that could lead to an accident. Since human error is the leading cause of vehicle accidents all over the country, car manufacturers and legislators have long been looking for a way to minimize the number of crashes and fatalities. Self-driving cars being tested on the roads, now, however, are still in the early stages of evaluation and it could be years before the technology is available to the masses.

In the meantime, it is expected that human error will continue to lead the charge for vehicle crashes, injuries, and fatalities. Each driver owes a duty of care to everyone sharing the road, so it’s important to always be responsible and focused when behind the wheel. Doing so could help to prevent a devastating accident or personal injury claim.