The autonomous (self driving) car buyers and owners thread (1 Viewer)

[jimmyjet]

travis,


that is the problem


we are now trying to remove ourselves of that responsibility


a car is a useful tool, it is also a dangerous one


if one wants to use one, one needs to take said responsibility


i do not think autonomous cars will come to fruition


i do think we will have built-in help, though

 

[Sam Posten]

Again, I will take that bet.

 

[jimmyjet]

lunch at your favorite cafeteria - LOL !!

 

[Sam Posten]

Sounds good, let's put an end date on it. How about by July 1 2020? That's just over 5 years.

To be clear: There will be fully autonomous vehicles in legal operation in the US on open roads. Humans may need to take over in uncertain situations but the vehicles will operate without human intervention for the vast majority of a commute or trip.

I fully believe it will happen long before that on the technical side, but may take longer on the regulatory side.

 

[RobertR]

Jimmy's outlook sounds like an example of someone who has the Frankenstein Complex:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankenstein_complex

 

[TravisR]

While I'm certainly in no hurry to get an autonomous car, I have to admit that this thread has given me a much more positive outlook on it. Simply the amount of lives that it will save makes it a good thing.

 

[jimmyjet]

Sounds good, let's put an end date on it. How about by July 1 2020? That's just over 5 years.

To be clear: There will be fully autonomous vehicles in legal operation in the US on open roads. Humans may need to take over in uncertain situations but the vehicles will operate without human intervention for the vast majority of a commute or trip.

I fully believe it will happen long before that on the technical side, but may take longer on the regulatory side.

i was referring to a car WITHOUT human intervention


if a human can take over, and therefore be held responsible - that is a whole different ballgame

 

[TravisR]

i was referring to a car WITHOUT human intervention


if a human can take over, and therefore be held responsible - that is a whole different ballgame

What are the odds that a person is going to be able to respond any better or more quickly than the car in a split second emergency? As for responsibility, at what point does it become the person's responsibility? If they had 10 seconds to respond? 5? 1? 1/10 of a second? If you have an autonomous car and it gets into an accident, it'll be seen as mechanical error (like if a tire blew out or the brakes failed or whatever else can go wrong in a car that's out of your control) and just like now, insurance will cover you and your premiums will increase.

 

[Adam_S]

In fact insurance for cars without assisted driving tech will go up. In 2025 it will be incredibly expensive to insure a teen driver for a car without driver assist. By 2045, issuing drivers license will probably be an expensive novelty/hobby pursuit Ala pilot licenses or scuba certification, a skill for the rich only.

 

[jimmyjet]

What are the odds that a person is going to be able to respond any better or more quickly than the car in a split second emergency? As for responsibility, at what point does it become the person's responsibility? If they had 10 seconds to respond? 5? 1? 1/10 of a second? If you have an autonomous car and it gets into an accident, it'll be seen as mechanical error (like if a tire blew out or the brakes failed or whatever else can go wrong in a car that's out of your control) and just like now, insurance will cover you and your premiums will increase.

at what point ? when he turns on the ignition.

 

[schan1269]

I wonder if a fully autonomous electric car(granted yes there are automated gas pumps...) could be programmed to take itself for new tires and brake jobs...on its own.

I'd be in for that...

gas powered...

"Dear owner, I need an oil change. While you have lunch, I'll be back in an hour..."

Electric...

"I'll do your errands today, the dry cleaners has a drive through...I talk, stay on the couch...I'll be back..."

 

[Sam Posten]

Door to door service Schan, parking lots can be fully vertical in the future =)

 

[jimmyjet]

If you have an autonomous car and it gets into an accident, it'll be seen as mechanical error (like if a tire blew out or the brakes failed or whatever else can go wrong in a car that's out of your control) and just like now, insurance will cover you and your premiums will increase.

thank you for demonstrating my point - we are attempting to remove ourselves from the responsibility of driving, pretty much like we do with just about everything else.


if it is out of my control, then it is not my fault. if it is in my control, take it out of my control, so i can claim that it is not my fault.

 

[TravisR]

thank you for demonstrating my point - we are attempting to remove ourselves from the responsibility of driving, pretty much like we do with just about everything else.


if it is out of my control, then it is not my fault. if it is in my control, take it out of my control, so i can claim that it is not my fault.

I can't imagine that this group of people that you feel are trying to not be responsible for things are smart enough to think of an autonomous car as a new way to not be responsible. People that dumb will want it because it's a new piece of 'futuristic' technology or because it's a status symbol or because everyone else has one.


Just to be clear, I'm not saying that everyone who wants an autonomous car falls into that category because there are real positives to them.

 

[jimmyjet]

i am talking about society, as a whole


we have overpopulated and over-polluted our planet. the only thing that is broken is ourselves.


do we try to fix ourselves ?


no, we actually have plans to settle another planet, so we can overpopulate and over-pollute that, as well


the real catch here is that finding a place and getting there is gonna be next to impossible, so people had better learn self-discipline. and even at this point, it is gonna be a real chore, because young people are not even growing up with that any more. everybody's little johnny is a saint, and can do no wrong !!


as i said, i am all for technology helping us out. if we have computer who can be a second set of eyes for us in the car, great.


we already have machines doing a lot of manual back-breaking work. but when it comes to a bunch of software making life and death decisions - we better do some re-assessment of ourselves and our situation.


i am on my bicycle every day, so i probably know better than most at how drivers are pre-occupied with tasks other than driving. so i certainly understand the sentiment. i just greatly differ on what we need to do to fix it.


i would have stiff penalties for a dui - first offense - 1 year in jail, 2nd offense - 5 years, 3rd offense - life in jail. if they kill or seriously maim someone - gas chamber.


if someone wants to use a potentially lethal tool, they had better dang well be of sound mind.

 

[ChristopherG]

This is definitely going to be a problem. Ever been a passenger in a car moving on a winding road?

 

[Sam Posten]

Interesting problem Chris! I don't think it's an unsolvable dealbreaker but something that will have to be dealt with case by case. We don't stop having cruise ships cause some people get seasick =)

 

[Citizen87645]

I am prone to motion sickness, especially as I've gotten older (can't really play FPS games anymore). I hadn't considered the possibility of getting motion sickness while being a passenger in an automated vehicle, but since it's possible for me to get motion sick as a passenger in ANY vehicle, it's not exactly a revelation either. And as a motion sickness sufferer, I already know it's a bad idea to read when I'm in the car, so wouldn't venture to do so whether it's self-driving or not.


The article describes how riding in a self-driving car is different than riding in a train...well, duh! It's a much smaller and lighter vehicle, so anyone thinking it would be the same as a train is missing (or is totally avoiding) the point. What's a more critical issue for motion sickness is how well the computer drives the car - does it make sudden movements, take turns too fast, accelerate and decelerate too quickly. All those things have given me motion sickness.


The most unusual cause of motion sickness was when I was riding home with a cousin. He has eczema and he was scratching his back by rubbing it against the seat back, the motion of which transmitted down his arms to the steering wheel, causing the car to make little lateral movements during the 90 minute trip. The other funny thing is his dad was notorious for giving people car sickness because he jack rabbited the gas pedal.

 

[Sam Posten]

 

[schan1269]

I haven't watched that, yet...but LeVar looks like..."Help me..."