The research, conducted by a nonprofit organization called the Union of Concerned Scientists, focused specifically on the impact autonomous vehicles might have on the Washington D.C. area.

Ultimately, the research suggests that introducing autonomous vehicles to the area would increase traffic by 66 percent, and that the added congestion would likely benefit the wealthy and take opportunities away from low-income communities…

The researchers argue that cities that introduce autonomous vehicles should also invest in public transit, to make sure that those who have longer commutes and would get stuck in the newly-introduced congestion can still find and make it to their jobs.

The report also suggested imposing a fine for any single-passenger autonomous vehicle trips to encourage carpooling and cut back on how many new vehicles will fill the streets.
More>>