California, Uber Meet After Video Shows Self-Driving Car Running Red Light

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2016/12/15/california-uber-meet-after-video-shows-self-driving-car-running-red-light/

[jmyrlefuller]

Oops.

[Cripplecreek]

LOL and they said that the human element is what made self driving cars dangerous. 

[Applewood]

This technology is not perfect and I doubt it ever will be.  There will always have to be someone in the front seat who can manually correct any mistakes.  IMHO, these vehicles and their monitors should be treated no differently than any ordinary vehicle and driver.  If the vehicle runs a red light, hits a pedestrian or crashes, the driver and the company should be subject to the same laws and held responsible as anyone else would be.

[Frank Cannon]

The people pushing these self driving cars are the same people who heavily support abortion. The only life that matters is theirs and if a few eggs get broken while pimping these absurdly dangerous vehicles, so be it.

[Cripplecreek]

Kill all humans.


www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qBlPa-9v_M

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

The people pushing these self driving cars are the same people who heavily support abortion. The only life that matters is theirs and if a few eggs get broken while pimping these absurdly dangerous vehicles, so be it.

Yep.


I cannot believe that they think people will feel comfortable driving alongside semis hauling God-knows what and driven without a driver whatsoever. When your computer crashes, you generally don't die. Not so with these things.


I've always been a skeptic of self-driving cars.

[Frank Cannon]

Yep.


I cannot believe that they think people will feel comfortable driving alongside semis hauling God-knows what and driven without a driver whatsoever. When your computer crashes, you generally don't die. Not so with these things.


I've always been a skeptic of self-driving cars.

Not to mention the huge moral dilemmas here. An old lady and a kid in a wheel chair walk out in front of a self driving car. One will be hit and the other saved depending on what decision is made. Now we are down to dirty filthy computer programmers living in their parents basement to decide what the car decides.

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

Not to mention the huge moral dilemmas here. An old lady and a kid in a wheel chair walk out in front of a self driving car. One will be hit and the other saved depending on what decision is made. Now we are down to dirty filthy computer programmers living in their parents basement to decide what the car decides.

So this guy will be making these decisions from now on?

[XenaLee]

This technology is not perfect and I doubt it ever will be.  There will always have to be someone in the front seat who can manually correct any mistakes.  IMHO, these vehicles and their monitors should be treated no differently than any ordinary vehicle and driver.  If the vehicle runs a red light, hits a pedestrian or crashes, the driver and the company should be subject to the same laws and held responsible as anyone else would be.

Imagine what a terrorist could do with one of these cars.  No more "suicide" attacks.  No risk to the terrorist.  Lots of risk to the public, however.  Really bad idea.

[Cripplecreek]

Imagine what a terrorist could do with one of these cars.  No more "suicide" attacks.  No risk to the terrorist.  Lots of risk to the public, however.  Really bad idea.

Remote control car bombs have been popping up occasionally for years.

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

There will always have to be someone in the front seat who can manually correct any mistakes. 

So where's the benefit here? I read in another article on them that you have to be willing to take the wheel at any second or you might die. So where's the benefit from them? Obviously you cannot take a nap driving to work. The guy who died driving them was decapitated when the computer was confused by a semi driving next to him, car pulled right into the side of it.


Yeah, no thanks.

[Cripplecreek]

So where's the benefit here? I read in another article on them that you have to be willing to take the wheel at any second or you might die. So where's the benefit from them? Obviously you cannot take a nap driving to work. The guy who died driving them was decapitated when the computer was confused by a semi driving next to him, car pulled right into the side of it.


Yeah, no thanks.

The only way I would be OK with self driving cars is on sparsely traveled rural highways for long trips and I would still sit behind the wheel and keep alert.

[dfwgator]

California Uber Alles

[Applewood]

So where's the benefit here? I read in another article on them that you have to be willing to take the wheel at any second or you might die. So where's the benefit from them? Obviously you cannot take a nap driving to work. The guy who died driving them was decapitated when the computer was confused by a semi driving next to him, car pulled right into the side of it.


Yeah, no thanks.

Since I don't drive, I used to joke that I was going to buy one of those self-driving cars when they became available.  But the fact is they will not replace human competence and responsibility. 

Companies like Uber and Amazon are into gimmicks.  i think they are just trying to outdo each other and they aren't really interested in doing what is best for the customer.

I am a fan of Uber and Amazon, but I'm not sure these dazzling innovations are all they are cracked up to be.

[jmyrlefuller]

So where's the benefit here? I read in another article on them that you have to be willing to take the wheel at any second or you might die. So where's the benefit from them? Obviously you cannot take a nap driving to work. The guy who died driving them was decapitated when the computer was confused by a semi driving next to him, car pulled right into the side of it.


Yeah, no thanks.

The whole point of these self-driving cars is to eventually get to the point where it can be used without that emergency backup driver.

The reason? Truck drivers are the most numerous occupations in most states. Get rid of the truck driver, and a business saves lots of money by putting millions out of work. No more Social Security or Medicare taxes, no unemployment insurance, no minimum wage, no Obamacare mandate. You essentially have free labor.

They're getting alarmingly close to having self-driving trucks on the highway.

Rich people did not become rich by blowing their money on the greater good. Ask Donald Trump.

[Idaho_Cowboy]

Not to mention the huge moral dilemmas here. An old lady and a kid in a wheel chair walk out in front of a self driving car. One will be hit and the other saved depending on what decision is made. Now we are down to dirty filthy computer programmers living in their parents basement to decide what the car decides.

Easy, the kid will make a smaller dent.

I'm sure if the company that makes these assumes the liability the actuary table and average payout for death and damage will be the driving factor in these decisions.

[CSM]

OK, I read the comments on this thread and honestly folks, this reminds me of 100 years ago.  The same statements were made about the "dangerous automobile machines."  They went to fast and made the roads dangerous!  Folks were so afraid that they tried to pass laws against them, in fact the "Dodgers" got their name due to the fans "dodging" the trolley's around the stadium.  The mechanical transportation devices were feared all over the country.

Does anyone remember when we were told that computers were a flash in the pan and that they would never catch on?  How about the cell phone scares that everyone would get brain cancer or that using them at gas stations would blow you up?  Everything new is scary and society nearly always balks.

The fact of the matter is that this technology is coming and it will be a great improvement for travel safety.  Sure, there will be a transition and there will be struggles along the way, but it will come whether we want it to or not. 

When it does and when it is functioning nearly perfect (perfection is not possible on this earth,) then the roads will be safer, we will have more time in our day to accomplish other tasks (or for leisure) and we will be able to live further from crowded cities.  I'm sure there will be many more benefits that can't be envisioned in our current thinking.

[Idaho_Cowboy]

Maybe we can work up a remake of Jesus take the wheel for when the computer crashes.

[geronl]

The only way I would be OK with self driving cars is on sparsely traveled rural highways for long trips and I would still sit behind the wheel and keep alert.

You mean those roads where the computer will get the least amount of timely updates.

[Applewood]

OK, I read the comments on this thread and honestly folks, this reminds me of 100 years ago.  The same statements were made about the "dangerous automobile machines."  They went to fast and made the roads dangerous!  Folks were so afraid that they tried to pass laws against them, in fact the "Dodgers" got their name due to the fans "dodging" the trolley's around the stadium.  The mechanical transportation devices were feared all over the country.

Does anyone remember when we were told that computers were a flash in the pan and that they would never catch on?  How about the cell phone scares that everyone would get brain cancer or that using them at gas stations would blow you up?  Everything new is scary and society nearly always balks.

The fact of the matter is that this technology is coming and it will be a great improvement for travel safety.  Sure, there will be a transition and there will be struggles along the way, but it will come whether we want it to or not. 

When it does and when it is functioning nearly perfect (perfection is not possible on this earth,) then the roads will be safer, we will have more time in our day to accomplish other tasks (or for leisure) and we will be able to live further from crowded cities.  I'm sure there will be many more benefits that can't be envisioned in our current thinking.

Speaking for myself, I don't object to new technology provided it works well.  I'm old enough to remember manual typewriters.  When IBM Selectrics came out, they were a godsend.  But then the office in which I worked replaced all  the typewriters with PCs.  PCS could do a lot more, better and faster...except envelopes.  I found that it took me longer to type an envelope on the PC and send it to print than it did to just load the envelope into the rewrite and type.  And it seemed that every time I tried to print an envelope, it would get stuck or mangled and I would have to send the envelope to print at least one more time.  If I had typed it on a typewriter, the envelope would have been done in a minute.

There is always going to be a drawback to new technology and that's ok.  We can live with it.  It's usually a minor annoyance.  But the problems with self-driving cars could make them dangerous.  That is what concerns me.

[geronl]

  But then the office in which I worked replaced all  the typewriters with PCs.  PCS could do a lot more, better and faster...except envelopes.  I found that it took me longer to type an envelope on the PC and send it to print than it did to just load the envelope into the rewrite and type.  And it seemed that every time I tried to print an envelope, it would get stuck or mangled and I would have to send the envelope to print at least one more time.  If I had typed it on a typewriter, the envelope would have been done in a minute.

We just print on the label thing and peel it off and put it on the envelope now

[CSM]

There is always going to be a drawback to new technology and that's ok.  We can live with it.  It's usually a minor annoyance.  But the problems with self-driving cars could make them dangerous.  That is what concerns me.

Actually, driving is one of the most dangerous activities in your daily life, so an upgrade in technology isn't going to "make driving dangerous."  Most drivers forget that they are driving a 3 ton killing machine and they take it for granted.  As a person that does a lot of walking, I can tell you that it is quite frequent that a driver has no idea as to what is happening around them. 

Sure, the story linked for this thread has demonstrated an error state and the car "ran a red light."  This is the first story that I have seen where one of these cars "ran a red light."  However, I see drivers running red lights several times a week while I am trying to cross the street.

I agree that there will be a transition period in technology, but in the end it will make transportation one of the safest activities in your life.  It is a technology that is coming and it will be of great benefit to society. 

[Idaho_Cowboy]

Actually, driving is one of the most dangerous activities in your daily life, so an upgrade in technology isn't going to "make driving dangerous."  Most drivers forget that they are driving a 3 ton killing machine and they take it for granted.  As a person that does a lot of walking, I can tell you that it is quite frequent that a driver has no idea as to what is happening around them. 

Sure, the story linked for this thread has demonstrated an error state and the car "ran a red light."  This is the first story that I have seen where one of these cars "ran a red light."  However, I see drivers running red lights several times a week while I am trying to cross the street.

I agree that there will be a transition period in technology, but in the end it will make transportation one of the safest activities in your life.  It is a technology that is coming and it will be of great benefit to society.

I hate to be on the side of the borg here, but you are correct as far as it goes. I've read more than one article that explained how these cars were causing traffic problems and dangerous situations because they wouldn't bend the law at all.
For instance, if you are being tailgated there are situation where running a red or at least the tail end of a yellow light makes sense.