China Wants to Add Driverless Cars to its Awful List of 'Firsts'

It’s no surprise that one of the most oppressive nations on the planet wants to lead the race for driverless cars.

China is trumpeting new driverless car developments at the Beijing Motor Show, the BBC reported Wednesday. Changan, Baidu, BMW, Volvo and Geely are among the companies working with China on driverless car technology. 

Although it was initially thought the first driverless car for consumers would come from Silicon Valley, China is working to steal that title, the BBC reported.

The concept rides on but for the average person, a driverless car provides no tangible benefts. Municipalities would have to set up infrastructure for the driverless cars, and the cost could be huge. Other questions arise about how the cars would navigate complex traffic conditions. 

One of the crazy arguments for the so-called autonomous cars is as follows:

“Autonomous cars can drop off people at their workplaces in the heart of a city, then drive to a remote area to park,” the Wall Street Journal reported. “Later they can drive themselves to pickup points, perhaps designated via a smartphone app, and choose the best route to take into account current traffic. All of these things, in theory, could reduce traffic. But it’s also possible that traffic congestion and the need for parking will increase as a result.”

Driverless cars come “packed with cameras and radars,” according to the BBC. The surveillance technology required to run the entire system would turn vehicles into Nazi spy machines.

That kind of control is right up China’s alley. It’s a country where virtually every person that is arrested is found guilty.

In 2015, China had a criminal conviction rate of 99.92 percent, Chief Justice and CCP Central Committee member Zhou Qiang announced at the National People’s Congress in March. Prosecutions for state security and “terrorism” charges doubled in 2015 over the previous year, according to Human Rights Watch.

“ The statistics include numerous cases investigated by Chinese and international organizations of people prosecuted solely for their peaceful criticism of officials or government policy,” Human Rights Watch reported.

China also ranks among the top worst countries for freedom of press, according to Reporters Without Borders.

And China makes international headlines for its inhumane treatment of workers. At the Foxconn plant, employees live in crowded dormitories, work shifts of 36 hours or more, and are constantly monitored by oppressive security guards.

Apple is among the companies that utilize workers from the plants. In 2010, fourteen workers committed suicide at one of the plants, reportedly to end living in deplorable conditions. In response, nets were installed around the factory to prevent workers from jumping to their deaths.

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