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Autonomous cars sound great. In an ideal world, they allow passengers to travel safely without worry or responsibility.
However, former New York City Traffic Commissioner Sam Schwartz is adamant that the idyllic vision of autonomous cars is far from realized… and never should be at the expense of our health and freedom.
In Autokill, the first-ever self-described traffic thriller, Schwartz and co-author Cary Pepper imagine a not-too distant future where self-driving cars have become commonplace across the United States. The novel, which is slated for publication on August 18th, follows three point-of-view characters. Jason Bartel is a laid-off trucker aggrieved by the robo-trucks that replaced him. Richard Corby is a climate scientist who laments the big-picture impact of Congress and pro-business politicians favoring automakers over ordinary citizens. Cybermarshal Dana Grant investigates a strange case where a self-driving car ran a stop sign and killed a woman.
When a seemingly isolated fatal accident exposes a much larger danger, the characters must find a way to stop a threat that many powerful people would prefer to keep hidden.
“The driverless car industry doesn’t want you to think too hard about the dangers in what they are doing,” Schwartz said when asked whether the plot of Autokill could really happen. “The risks are very real, but there is a staggering amount of money at stake for the companies involved.”
Whether you’re a self-driving skeptic or someone looking forward to autonomous driving, the propulsive plot and strong characterization will pull you along at a steady pace.
Each narrative reflects a part of Schwartz's experience as NYC Traffic Commissioner. The first man to coin the term “gridlock,” Schwartz was recently featured in The New York Times article by Stefanos Chen. Chen wrote, “There may not be a more qualified person to engage in this kind of speculative fiction.”
Schwartz understands the trajectory of transportation better than anyone and knows that autonomous vehicles are likely the next step in transportation development. He simply wants to make sure it's done right, and Autokill offers a prescient look at what can go wrong if it's not.
