4. Google's Self-Driving Cars: 300,000 Miles Logged, Not a Single Accident Under Computer Control

http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/08/googles-self-driving-cars-300-000-miles-logged-not-a-single-accident-under-computer-control/260926/

On August 9th, Rebecca J. Ronsen, an associate editor at The Atlantic, posted an article about the development of Google's automated cars in becoming the ultimate safety car. Ronsen starts out by saying that Google's intentions when designing the car were to create a car that goes "beyond the capabilities of human-piloted vehicles, cars that are much, much safer" and to decrease the number of deaths due to road traffic accidents. She goes on presenting the numbers which indicate that Google's cars have been doing better than "your average American," however she also says how they have not been tested in unusual conditions such as harsh weather and need to learn what to do in tricky situations and without any human control. Although the ratio of accident and miles traveled is good, there still is a long way to go to surpass the ratio of fatal accidents and miles traveled.

The purpose of this post is to inform the readers about the progress of Google's automated car project and how it's still on its early stages. The author introduces with a quote on Google's ambitious intentions which attracts readers, rousing some interest in them about the subject. Ronsen uses compares and contrast Google's results with numbers from recent studies using many quotes and statistics from reliable sources (such as the WHO, the Census Bureau, and many people from trustworthy departments) to ensure credibility of her information and to keep her readers interested. She also gives references to her sources and past articles to provide the reader with additional resources related to both the projects progress and to the statistics. Ronsen ends her essay with thought provoking ethical "questions about safety standards for autonomous machines." The overall language used by the author is adequate (not too formal and not too informal) and the tone she uses is relaxed and assuring, suggesting her optimistic view towards Google's project.