Self driving cars will get their drivers killed

[MossRoad]

Maybe 70 year old speed limits need to be re-assessed to cope with modern vehicles. Steering and braking technology has come an extremely long way.

No. Here's why...


THE OLDER I GET, THE BETTER I WAS


It's a common reality that people don't want to face.

Unless you practice aggressive driving habits on a regular basis, you quickly lose those skills. I'd wager 99% of people on the road (including my amazing self) have poor driving skills when it comes to traffic.

On the one hand, I am an excellent "driver". I can toss a car around like a toy and have always been comfortable driving on the hairy edge of disaster.

On the other hand, I'm a terrible driver if I do things in traffic that other driver's don't expect.

By raising speed limits on roads to the limit that the car can handle in no way does anything for the driver behind the wheel. If anything, it makes them even more lax in that it gives them a sense of security that doesn't exist if they don't have the reaction time or opportunity to use those brakes and steering effectively in a shorter time span that a higher speed limit causes.

The whole point of enhanced braking, steering, stability control, etc. is to make things safer at current speeds, not to allow us to drive even faster.

Just my opinion, of course. We all choose which laws to follow and how closely when it comes to driving.

 

[MossRoad]

I agree that self driving cars will get you killed, and those around them are in danger too.

I see self driving cars all the time. You can tell, by the tilt of their head, down and to the left, that they aren't engaged with the driving experience. Apparently something on the phone is more interesting.

I forgot where I read it, probably here, but someone asked what's so interesting in driver's crotches that they're looking down at it all the time?

 

[zzvyb6]

The Tesla speed drops because its running out of battery. An air horn can assist you with this 'issue'. I'm from N.Y. We didn't toot. It's 5 seconds of 'pull your azz over'.

 

[Ken45101]

For the record, I would never surrender control of a vehicle to a computer while I was in it.

The MS “blue screen of death” takes on new meaning

“To error is human, to really foul up takes a computer”
— old IBM sign

 

[/pine]

I wish more states would adopt traffic laws that require any vehicle that has X amount of cars behind it (in normal conditions) to pull over and allow faster traffic by...!

 

[fatjay]

Unless you practice aggressive driving habits on a regular basis, you quickly lose those skills. I'd wager 99% of people on the road (including my amazing self) have poor driving skills when it comes to traffic.

On the one hand, I am an excellent "driver". I can toss a car around like a toy and have always been comfortable driving on the hairy edge of disaster.

I'm not so sure those skills fade as quickly as you think. I drive my truck regularly, which is not a performance vehicle. On occasion I hop in the jag and take it out to the twisties, screaming tires, wrist flicking turns, not quite pedal to the metal because the road can't handle it, but pretty close. I love the speed and the bends pulling me to the side, it just feels good, but it's always over to quickly. A mile or two then it's time to move on. There's a 911 turbo and a Lamborghini aventador around here that i've seen have the same fun. Every once in a while we'll meet up at random and it'll become a game to see if the lead car can pull away from the rear car. That is a rush.

 

[Cougsfan]

Fatjay, I think you made too many assumptions about what happened. I can easily visualize numerous causes that differ from what you have assumed. You may have been correct, or not. The danger is when you start drawing conclusions and form opinions based on a lack of evidence.

I too see self-driving cars being a ways off. They far are more suited for freeways and major highways and currently lack what it takes for country roads.

Seeing how many crazy, inconsiderate, and just plain stupid drivers that there are in human driven cars, I am not so convinced that self driven cars will be more dangerous on average. The biggest problem will be those crazy unpredictable drivers interacting with self driven cars. Even if it is not the self driven car's fault, it will be the one blamed.

 

[Jstpssng]

Maybe 70 year old speed limits need to be re-assessed to cope with modern vehicles. Steering and braking technology has come an extremely long way.

It's not just the vehicles. Generally when you are in a zone with 25, 35, or even 40 mph speed limits you are in a somewhat built up area and there are other things going on. A lot of people are driving 10-20 over the limit while drinking coffee, eating, and playing with the radio. I know, roads are to drive on and everybody else needs to get the hell out of the way... except that isn't true. I once almost got run over because I was walking on the shoulder facing traffic when a horn blew behind me. As I turned I stepped onto the pavement; right into the path of somebody who was passing a line of cars. It scared me so badly that I threw my axe at him, but missed.

 

[dodge man]

As George Carlin said everybody driving slower than me is an idiot, everybody driving faster is a maniac. Kind of true isn’t it?

 

[Oaktree]

I wish more states would adopt traffic laws that require any vehicle that has X amount of cars behind it (in normal conditions) to pull over and allow faster traffic by...!

Yeah, good luck with enforcement with that! Most, if not all states have laws barring cellphone operation by the driver too. How's that working out?

Seen an article published by Bosch stating require minimum of six satellites for guidance for each vehicle. Problem then becomes uploading road change data to all these satellites. I believe figured would be another 10 years or more to improve technology for covering main routes.

Do the satellites have the map info, or do they just link to servers on the ground? I suspect the latter.
I would hope that self-driving vehicles don't depend on an active link to the mothership to operate, but instead store the info they need in the vehicle, and update as necessary. Otherwise how would it handle driving in tunnels, down roads where the tree canopy blocks the sky, etc?