Self Driving Car

[MH8675309]

Technology is neat in some ways - but why take away yet another "engaging" chore? Driving takes interaction, thought, care, effort, concentration and a host of other activities. Forgive me for my skepticism but it seems like a further dumbing down of the human race. Sorry to be a killjoy,,, just my 2 cents

 

[kiotiken]

Technology is neat in some ways - but why take away yet another "engaging" chore? Driving takes interaction, thought, care, effort, concentration and a host of other activities. Forgive me for my skepticism but it seems like a further dumbing down of the human race. Sorry to be a killjoy,,, just my 2 cents

Computers take away from writing notes, sending mail, keeping files organized etc but that doesn't mean the human race is worse off, it's progress that's made society more productive. Driving is fun for a lot of us but there are huge advantages not having to do it. Traffic and road rage would be a thing of the past as cars who all talk to each other drive a constant speed 2" from each others bumpers. No need for traffic lights anymore either, computers would track traffic and calculate the most efficient way to process it.
As I've pointed out, seniors would benefit, drunk drivers would be taken off the roads (they wouldn't be driving anyway) and your workday could start an hour sooner letting spend less time at the office. Your car could drop you off at the door and go park itself. You could go out for a drink or two with co-workers or friends without worrying about driving (I will no longer drive after a single beer, it's an example I'm trying to set for my kids).
I don't think it'll happen overnight and I agree with the previous poster that it will be phased in and some existing infrastructure may be converted. I don't see that as a barrier or waste as some people have said, it's no different than re-purposing a lane on a hwy for an HOV lane or bus only lane. We've even been adding bike lanes to the shoulders around here.
As for liability, it seems clear it will rest with the owner or occupant of the car, even if they have no control over the situation. That will simply be what you're signing up for by buying an autonomous car. The up side is that all autonomous cars will have an incredible amount of information available in the case of an accident. Radar, speed, video etc will all likely be stored and used to investigate incidents.


I LOVE driving, I always have. But there are too many advantages to taking the steering wheel away from passengers and I don't think that's a dumbing down of the human race, I see it a giant leap forward.

 

[jaotguy]

driving is supposed to be engaging ... too bad its with the cell phone and texting these days , or spent in conversation with the Shopper in the next seat and where the next big sale is .... not with the eyes on the road and concentrating on "driving ".

poor driving skills ( too low a bar ) gets you people that know 50% of the rules ... so they only get 50% of the driving decisions right ....

poor skills and you have people driving 30 MPH on a 60 MPH highway... in the middle lane

just by raising the driving standards to 90% written and a FULL driving test , ... there would be fewer poor drivers

some European countries have huge up front costs for training and testing BEFORE you get your license ... and they make it easier to take it away if someone isn't following the rules ....

as far as sitting back and letting the vehicle take you somewhere ... its here already ... public transit ....

 

[2LaneCruzer]

I suppose you're right, but self driving cars have nothing to do with it. I predict 100% of cars will be electric before they're autonomous and there's no tranny at all in those. I have to think a ride in a Tesla P85 D with 620+ hp and 860+ ft/lbs torque might make you feel better about loosing your old 348!

Well, I was being a bit facetious when I made that post; the point being that there is a certain satisfaction in being in control of the automobile...not to say that a self-driver does not have its own merits, because it does. It would be sad, however if the driver were eliminated completely.

 

[MH8675309]

Computers do take away from writing in that we now have a generation of young people that are no longer learning to write cursive. Calculators are great too - til you meet someone who can't multiply without one - after all - why memorize your times tables if you've got a little machine to take care of it for you. Don't you love it when you receive your change at the register and they just hand you a wad of bills and change - they look at the screen and give you back the amount it says to without a thought of what you paid or what your change should be. On a train in Chicago last time I went to visit my son looking around at the scenery and noticed the people sitting on the train. ALL of them had their face in a phone completely oblivious to anything going on around them. I have an I phone and use a computer - I'm not against progress but some of these changes are not for the better. I've seen young people in a car that didn't know how to get anywhere because they were either watching a movie or a phone whenever they got into a car. Well there's always a road map,,, you've gotta be kidding.

 

[dave1949]

Public transit would be good if it really existed. Doesn't seem to be what people want though. Fly or drive is more popular. Flying is a PITA. I won't go near an airport unless there is no other reasonable alternative, and it's expensive.

Here is the shortest Amtrak (22 hours) trip from Portland,ME to Toledo, OH. Note that I'm a two+ hour drive from the nearest Amtrak station too. Door to door this is about 16-17 hours by car.

8:00 AM Portland Transportation Center
Downeaster 682 towards Boston North Station
10:30 AM Boston North Station

Walk
243 ft (1 min)
10:43 AM North Station
Orange Line towards Forest Hills
10:52 AM Back Bay

Walk
30 ft (0 mins)
12:00 PM Boston Back Bay Station
Lake Shore Limited 449 towards Chicago Union Station
5:55 AM Toledo Central Union Plaza
(Toledo, OH)

 

[imported_OWDouglas]

Why would anyone want their car to drive itself. Driving a car is the only transportation mode you have control over, why give that up? I love to drive and I don't plan on putting my life on a bunch of sensors, especially in the northeast when the sensors are covered in ice and salt. No thank you I will drive myself.

 

[imported_OWDouglas]

Technology is neat in some ways - but why take away yet another "engaging" chore? Driving takes interaction, thought, care, effort, concentration and a host of other activities. Forgive me for my skepticism but it seems like a further dumbing down of the human race. Sorry to be a killjoy,,, just my 2 cents

You said it better than me.

 

[dmccarty]

The complexity of technology required to have a self driving car is impressive and SCARY! The idea that the system can be hacked is even scarier...

On the other hand, the idiots on the road are a reality, and scare the scat out of me weekly, if not daily. :shocked:

Last week, I followed a guy in a Volvo for about 30 minutes. I first noticed him when a traffic light turned green and he barely accelerated through the intersection. He was so slow cars behind me did not make the light even though they should have and I had to pull the truck out of gear to keep from running him over. I have a 350 pick up, and I don't drive it hard, so for me to have to put the truck in neutral shows how slow he was going. I will just skip what he did at the next light and his other antics since he was doing the usual bad driving behaviors.

The previous night we had some cold weather and rain/ice so there had been some weather delays. The day this happened there was still a chance of ice on the road but the roads were dry and there were no problems. We we cruising along at 45, and I was keeping my usual 3-4 seconds interval behind the Volvo, when the guy slammed on the brakes and almost came to a complete stop in the middle of the road. I put up my hands in a WTF are you doing gesture, no not the finger, ,and looked in the review mirror to see if the line of cars behind me were going to stop. Thankfully, they did.

WHY did this idiot slam on the brakes with no warning? He saw a big black asphalt patch in the road and thought it was ice. WTF! :shocked::confused3: This idiot could not tell ice from black asphalt? Dude, park the Volvo and take a cab.

Normally, when I see a driver like this, I want to stay behind them. I think it is better to have the idiot in front of me where I can react to his idiocy than behind me where he can hit me. However, when the road went to two lanes, I passed him figuring he might slam on the breaks if he saw a piece of paper in the road. As I passed the guy, he flipped me the bird! Really? He almost caused a major car accident by slamming on the brakes because he thinks asphalt is ice and *** I *** am the bad guy? REALLY? He was danged lucky I was following him instead of most drivers because they would have slammed into the back of his Volvo.

After seeing this idiocy on an almost daily basis, I really wonder if self driving cars would be so bad after all.

Later,
Dan

 

[wawajake]

Ain't going to happen in anywhere that snow or ice exists even if it is only urban, can you imagine the chaos ...then try to imagine the computer having to decide (as it approaches an impending crash) ........do I save my driver and plow into the school bus or do I send my driver into the rock cut...........or imagine the computer hacking opportunities for trouble makers .........then hack easily into a movie company and threaten movie cancellation or to steal patents, so they will just love hacking into a situation on a turnpike overpass with traffic going innocently beneath them until they strike............yep unless technology can change the physics of speed and friction to stop this is still many many many years away...........oh and I forgot the lawyers for the drivers that would then be able to sue their car company for their fender bender, yep Ford and GM are just going to love taking on those liabilities, they are having enough trouble with airbag problems let alone vehicle guidance systems gone amuck !

Oh and I forgot, now imagine you want to tour country side , but your car is only good for urban streets with systems technology.......sorry you got to buy two kinds of vehicles or pay for one that can do both so twice the cost. .....it goes on and on,