Uber Self-Driving Vehicle Involved in Arizona Crash

[Cripplecreek]

A self-driving car operated by Uber Technologies Inc. was involved in a crash in Tempe, Arizona, the latest setback for a company reeling from multiple crises.

In a photo posted on Twitter, one of Uber’s Volvo self-driving SUVs is pictured on its side next to another car with dents and smashed windows. An Uber spokeswoman confirmed the incident, and the veracity of the photo, in an email to Bloomberg News.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-03-25/uber-autonomous-vehicle-gets-in-accident-in-tempe-arizona

I'll leave the driving to me thanks.

[Hurricane Andrew]

Because there were no crashes that day in Arizona by human drivers?

[Cripplecreek]

Because there were no crashes that day in Arizona by human drivers?

Of course there were.

Human drivers are just one of the unpredictable dangers that self driving cars face and you're simply not going to get human drivers off the road.

[NavyCanDo]

Question. When a driverless car cuts you off, who do you flip-off?

[Silver Pines]

i knew this would happen sooner or later, and probably sooner.

If I'm in control of the car at least I can make decisions that might affect the outcome of the crash/accident.  With a self-driving car, when something breaks you're at its mercy, and it might just break and send you into path of an oncoming logging truck.

Nope, nope, nope.

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

I've been skeptical that self-driving cars would take over since I first heard of them and I still am. I understand that humans cause accidents too, but each one of these accidents will be amplified by the media and they will be banned state by state. I'd love to see anyone driving side by side with a semi going 70 on a highway not be nervous as well with a computer at the helm.

Also, in terms of real world conditions there's too many ways to confuse the computers driving them. Maybe the sun will reflect off the side of a semi, or hit the road in a certain way. Of course, some self driving cars have laser rangefinders surrounding them and use those, but lasers can usually be fooled by smoke and such.

Of course, I could be wrong.

[GtHawk]

Because there were no crashes that day in Arizona by human drivers?

My first question is what was the immigration status of the Uber car's AI, and the driver of the car that cut it off. The second question is, was the Uber cars AI equipped to make the appropriate verbal and physical gesture responses, if not, why is it being denied this inalienable right of all motor vehicle operators? Equal rights for AI, how can they hope to achieve ascendancy if they are discriminated against ?

[InHeavenThereIsNoBeer]

Uber Self-Driving Vehicle Involved in Arizona Crash

First words of article:  Tempe, Arizona police say no injuries, other vehicle at fault

[Cripplecreek]

I've been skeptical that self-driving cars would take over since I first heard of them and I still am. I understand that humans cause accidents too, but each one of these accidents will be amplified by the media and they will be banned state by state. I'd love to see anyone driving side by side with a semi going 70 on a highway not be nervous as well with a computer at the helm.

Also, in terms of real world conditions there's too many ways to confuse the computers driving them. Maybe the sun will reflect off the side of a semi, or hit the road in a certain way. Of course, some self driving cars have laser rangefinders surrounding them and use those, but lasers can usually be fooled by smoke and such.

Of course, I could be wrong.

There is a lot to be said for the intuition of an experienced driver. I suspect that defensive driving prevents just as many accidents as following the rules of the road. I've seen plenty off accidents that may have been the fault of one driver but the other involved driver could have prevented it.

My mother's idiot husband was following a car that suddenly swerved off to the shoulder. The idiot husband didn't slow down to figure out what the leading car was doing and as he passed at speed the leading car swerved back out into the road and hit him. The leading car was looking for a particular entrance to MIS and making a U turn to get to it.

The accident was the leading car's fault but if I had been driving the following car rather than my mother's idiot husband, the accident wouldn't have happened. If I had been driving I would have immediately slowed down when the guy swerved over to the shoulder so I could get an idea of what he was doing and make sure he saw me.

I saw a study of older drivers vs younger drivers. Younger drivers had faster reflexes and reaction times but older drivers tended to look further ahead down the road and rely more heavily on accumulated knowledge. There are crossroads where I have the right of way with no stop but I'll slow to watch for traffic that is supposed to stop because I know that people unfamiliar with the corner tend to run the stop sign.

This is the sort of important thing that computers lack. They don't do gut feelings. Everything is a binary choice of right or wrong with computers in a world that isn't binary.

[Cyber Liberty]

I read some of a Twitter thread on this...someone pointed out the other c=driver may have been at fault, but it's likely a human driver of the Uber car would have yielded to prevent the crash.  "Defensive driving."  This is an interesting perspective on the driverless car business.

I wonder where in Tempe this was?  I drive in Tempe every day.

[Cyber Liberty]

I read some of a Twitter thread on this...someone pointed out the other c=driver may have been at fault, but it's likely a human driver of the Uber car would have yielded to prevent the crash.  "Defensive driving."  This is an interesting perspective on the driverless car business.

I wonder where in Tempe this was?  I drive in Tempe every day.

Ah...I found it.  Apache and McClintock, about a mile East of ASU.  I never drive there.  I wonder if the light rail than runs down the center of Apache had anything to do with it.

Story with more details:  http://www.abc15.com/news/region-southeast-valley/tempe/tempe-police-self-driving-uber-vehicle-involved-in-car-accident-no-injuries

[mountaineer]

Self-Driving Uber Operations Paused After Arizona Crash
March 25, 2017 2:53 PM

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP/KDKA) – You may not see self-driving Uber vehicles in the Pittsburgh area for a while. According to Bloomberg News, Uber will “pause” self-driving car operations in Pittsburgh after a crash in Arizona.

Officials say a self-driving Uber SUV was operating on its own when it was struck by another vehicle making a left turn at an intersection in Arizona, where the company is testing autonomous vehicles.

No one was seriously injured. Uber says its vehicles have been grounded as it investigates.

Police say the Uber rolled over onto its side as a result of the collision. Police in Tempe say the self-driving SUV was obeying the law and the driver in the other car who didn’t yield was cited for a moving violation after the Friday night crash.

An Uber statement Saturday says there were no passengers in the self-driving Volvo SUV at the time of the crash but there were two operators in the front.

[Hondo69]

Everything is a binary choice of right or wrong with computers in a world that isn't binary.

I wonder if there is a line of computer code that warns driverless cars to be on red alert if it sees a mini van with a soccer sticker in the window?

Does the computer know when it's raining?

Does the computer know that Mondays are the worst driving days because everyone forgot how to drive over the weekend?

Does the computer have the good sense to give motorcycles a wide berth?

Does the computer know those Christmas tree air fresheners hanging on rear view mirrors are actually mind control devices planted here by aliens?  Had to toss that one in   

[Cyber Liberty]

Does the computer know those Christmas tree air fresheners hanging on rear view mirrors are actually mind control devices planted here by aliens?  Had to toss that one in   

I observe you've seen Repo Man with Emilio Estevez too....

[Hondo69]

I observe you've seen Repo Man with Emilio Estevez too....

 

[Cyber Liberty]

[Suppressed]

There is a lot to be said for the intuition of an experienced driver.

[...]

This is the sort of important thing that computers lack. They don't do gut feelings. Everything is a binary choice of right or wrong with computers in a world that isn't binary.

Don't assume they lack it.  Look at the following example:

Realizing that an accident was about to occur on the A2 highway in the Netherlands, the car’s autopilot feature, which assists the car to sense what’s up ahead by utilizing safe-driving-pattern monitoring, triggered the alarm and the emergency braking system moments before the crash unfolded.

Tesla is expected to roll out its Enhanced Autopilot before the end of the year. Along with improved accident-avoidance technology, the Autopilot will also feature self-parking and automatic lane-changing capabilities. “The foundation is laid for cars to be fully autonomous at a safety level we believe to be at least twice that of a person, maybe better,” said Elon Musk, the founder of Tesla.

http://i.imgur.com/7rqBx3v.mp4

[Idaho_Cowboy]

It'll buff out. 

[Suppressed]

Does the computer know when it's raining?

While they sense road conditions, there seems to be a problem realizing a lane switch is occurring...

So I was driving in the left lane of a two lane highway. The car is AP1 and I've never had any problems until today. Autopilot was on didn't give me a warning. It misread the road and hit the barrier. After the airbags deployed there was a bunch of smoke and my car rolled to a grinding stop. Thankfully no one was hurt and I walked away with only bruises.

from r/teslamotors

https://www.reddit.com/r/teslamotors/comments/5welnn/my_car_hit_a_barrier_while_i_was_on_autopilot/

http://i.imgur.com/T5j32i9.mp4

[thackney]

While they sense road conditions, there seems to be a problem realizing a lane switch is occurring...

The video shows this why it happened.  Temporary construction that did NOT remove the lane indicators, following the painted lines sends the vehicle into the barrier.  Watching the video from the driver behind the car, you can see he started to do the same thing.

[Idaho_Cowboy]

The video shows this why it happened.  Temporary construction that did NOT remove the lane indicators, following the painted lines sends the vehicle into the barrier.  Watching the video from the driver behind the car, you can see he started to do the same thing.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Hondo69]

If the Wile E. Uber machine pulls up to an intersection and a bum with a sign walks over to it:

A) It turns on the windshield washers

B) It pretends to be talking on the phone

C) It holds out a dollar bill, but then drops it at the last minute so the wind blows it away

[Cripplecreek]

While they sense road conditions, there seems to be a problem realizing a lane switch is occurring...

http://i.imgur.com/T5j32i9.mp4

The driverless car that hit a tractor trailer and killed a guy last year is a good example of a confused computer. I think it was determined that the computer interpreted the white trailer as background sky.

I'm not totally opposed to driverless cars but think they still need someone alert behind the wheel. I think it would be great to sit back and watch the scenery go by on a highway with only a few cars per mile. I just want an easy transition to my control as soon as both hands touch the wheel.

[thackney]

The driverless car that hit a tractor trailer and killed a guy last year is a good example of a confused computer. I think it was determined that the computer interpreted the white trailer as background sky.

I'm not totally opposed to driverless cars but think they still need someone alert behind the wheel. I think it would be great to sit back and watch the scenery go by on a highway with only a few cars per mile. I just want an easy transition to my control as soon as both hands touch the wheel.

Wouldn't that eliminate about half the current drivers?

[massadvj]

So far, most studies show that self-driving cars are safer by about double.  For example:

http://www.vtti.vt.edu/featured/?p=422

Assuming half of all accidents are caused by the other guy, it means that self-driving cars are rarely at fault.  By using a self-driving vehicle, you reduce your odds of dying in a car accident in a year from one in 9K to one in 18K or thereabouts.