What a Driverless World Would Look Like

In this Ted Talk, Wanis Kabbaj describes a world where there are no traffic jams and how beneficial it could be. He begins his speech with pictures of cities with different scenarios, which is a good way to grab the audience’s attention. He continues to use pictures throughout his speech to help portray what he is saying. Wanis brings up the idea of flying cars and how a company known as “Air Bus” has been successful in creating urban flying taxis. Although flying cars could solve traffic jams, he points out a better way to eliminate traffic. He compares transportation with the vascular system and informs the audience that red blood cells use up all the space they can without creating jams. This is the way he thought transportation should look like. Wanis thinks that it is possible to create vehicles that combine the convenience of cars with the efficiency that trains and buses possess. He designed a train in his head that is made up of several wagons. The wagons can detach dynamically as it is moving. Therefore, no one would have to wait another seven stops before they reach their destination. The wagons can detach and drive their passenger right to their doorstep. These special types of trains can be programmed to do this and would not need drivers. This would eliminate the need for stop lights, lanes, and speed limits. Everything would be predictable and reaction time would be kept at a minimum.

Wanis primarily uses logos by explaining to the audience the reasoning and design behind his plans and visions. He uses statistics to explain the issue of traffic. For example, he said that 30% of urban traffic is due to drivers looking for parking spaces. He makes eye-contact with the audience throughout his entire speech, uses hand gestures, and inflection of voice. Part of his style included using humor and asking the audience rhetorical questions. This helped keep the audience engaged and listen. He also kept the audience engaged by asking them to put themselves in different scenarios. Wanis constantly had a smile on his face, which made him pleasant to watch and listen to. Overall, he presented his speech in a rhetorically pleasing way.