Since the very creation of the automobile, people have been imagining ways to innovate on the original formula with increasing complexity. Now it seems that some of these designs and ideas will come to fruition in the near future. Two such concepts are that of the self-driving car and the flying car, which have been subject to much scrutiny in the public eye.

The driverless car is a dream that is much closer to reality than one might expect. Various companies, most prominently Google, are constructing their own models which are fully functioning and are undergoing testing at this very moment. As fanciful an idea as this would be, the American populace are quite skeptical.

When interviewed, most people showed caution at the idea.  For example, Michael Burleson, a teen driver, commented, “My problem is not with me driving or the car driving, but that everyone else is an idiot and they’re the reason you would get into a car accident.”

However, not everyone was so dubious. Adam Kharufa, another driver around the same age, said, “Yeah, if it was proven safe, I would definitely consider [buying] it.” Whatever the opinion of the consumer, these autonomous vehicles are sure to make a stir within the next few years. Only time will tell of their success or failure.

A design that is much farther from reality, at least for public consumption, than an autonomous car is a car that flies.  Such a thing has been discussed and even tested to work, however nearly every person interviewed showed disdain for the idea. While some were more accepting than others, most everyone said that such a thing would be too dangerous and expensive to be practical. One quote from Fred Odell, a teacher of history of psychology, pretty much sums up people’s feelings entirely: “I see people not being able to go outside for fear of cars falling on them.”

So, if we decide to include these vehicles into our mainstream economy, it would seem that it would be a rocky transition. Despite that, this technology would certainly cut down on the accident rate if it works correctly. Unfortunately, there’s no telling what the future holds for it, so we’ll just have to wait and see.