Week 10 Response-- The Future of Flying Cars

[Image Source] (https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/293167)

This post is in response to a questions posed by @dilucadomain:

Movies and shows about the future have continually shown the possibility of having flying cars. Do you believe this is going to be possible in the next 50 to 100 years? If it is possible would it be a safe idea to commercialize and publicizes the skies to the general public when car crashes are already one of the highest causes of death in modernized countries?

Personally, I do not think this is a plausible prediction for the future for multiple reasons. As incredible and efficient as it would be to simply fly from one place to the next, there are a few considerations that we all need to take. First and foremost, this development would require many infrastructure changes. We could not simply integrate these new vehicles into the flow of traffic. There would need to be specialized parking spaces at the grocery store or the pharmacy to accommodate these enlargements in vehicular structure, as well as in residential areas, such as individual garages and apartment parking garages. This conversation also begs the question of the rights to air traffic paths. Currently, commercial airlines own direct paths between two destinations. That is why some flights take ridiculous detours to make connections between different airports because they cannot cross into another company’s reserved “road.” In fact, most flights have been known to backtrack before reaching their final destination due to these established flight paths. If flying cars were to be created, citizens would not be able to simply fly wherever they want. To maintain order, there would have to be designated traffic patterns for everyone to follow and stick to, which may defeat the entire purpose. There would also have to be a specialized police force that would ensure the rules of the road are not lost with the transfer to the sky. Therefore, the development of personal flying cars would be delayed until flying police cruisers could be made. That project would require extensive, specialized training of officers, as well as tax dollars, to complete and reach this goal. Overall, there are many barriers to this endeavor that make it almost impossible to complete, therefore, I believe that this societal improvement is not likely to occur within the next 50 to 100 years.