Written by Terrance Johnson, Staff Writer

Imagine a world where your car drives for you. No more rushing to work, no more having trouble eating and driving at the same time, no more worrying about who’s going to be D.D. for the night. Now imagine this very same world; but not only do cars drive by themselves, they also suggest stores for you to shop at.

Some people are not all too enthused about certain technological advances that have been coming about and for good reason. With certain technological advances, people give up their privacy.

From the standpoint of a 23-year-old with an old soul, technology has done many great things. I will be the first to give credit where it is due, and technology deserves tons of credit for the advances that have been made throughout the last 20 years. However, the self-driving car is not one of those advances.

Think about it, the car would track your movements throughout the day and suggest that you shop at certain places because you have shopped there before, or maybe you haven’t. Maybe those suggested placed are just ads that you take as real suggestions coming from your car, but they don’t tell you. They instead say it is your favorite bar, and they are having a special.

It’s a slippery slope. What comes to mind are scenes from iRobot where one machine decides that human extinction is somehow for the good of the people. Maybe that’s drastic, but this is the direction we’re heading in if cars are all locked into the same system and have the power to drive around by themselves. Imagine if someone got a hold of that information and decided to wreak havoc. Maybe it’s a fantasy, but I’d rather control my own car than have it drive for me.