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AAA: 75% Of Drivers Say They Wouldn't Feel Safe In An Autonomous Vehicle (consumerist.com)

kheldan writes: While technology companies and car manufacturers alike are rushing to test their own autonomous vehicles, the average American driver doesn't feel quite comfortable with the idea of riding in a driverless car just yet, according to the results of a recent AAA survey. AAA's survey of 1,800 drivers found that 75% of current drivers say they wouldn't feel safe in a self-driving vehicle. But it's worth noting that 60% of those surveyed said they would like access to some kind of self-driving feature, such as self-parking, lane departure warnings, adaptive cruise control or automatic emergency braking the next time they buy a new car.

519 comments

  1. 75% of American Horse Association riders say... by 0100010001010011 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    They wouldn't feel safe in a mechanical beast.

    Lets see, a computer with a sample rate of 1000 Hz always on, always watching 360 degrees or Grandma that hasn't had to renew her license since she started losing vision or a teenager trying to take a selfie.

    I don't care if it takes twice as long to get anywhere (30 MPH max), as long as I can turn my brain off and do something else I'm happy.

    1. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by epyT-R · · Score: 3, Insightful

      1. Response time is only a small part of the equation.
      2. It's not all about what YOU want.

    2. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by elrous0 · · Score: 1

      Even modern airline pilots don't like the idea of not having overrides on their planes. No one likes the idea of surrendering all human autonomy to a machine. We've seen too many software glitches.

      --
      SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
    3. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by hawguy · · Score: 1, Interesting

      1. Response time is only a small part of the equation.
      2. It's not all about what YOU want.

      It's a matter of public health - if self driving cars will save lives, they should be required. Just like vaccines. Of course, there will be the anti-robot-cars movement, but they'll have to stay on private property with their old fashioned manually driving cars -- with steering wheels if you can imagine such a thing! How quaint!

    4. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Right... add a few snowflakes and suddenly the computer has no idea which way is up. The technology is just not ready yet. It will get there eventually, but we have quite a way to go before these vehicles are ready for diverse road conditions.

    5. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I don't care if it takes twice as long to get anywhere ... as long as I can turn my brain off and do something else I'm happy.

      This is why I take transit to work.

      This, plus the fact that a lot of the people still driving seem to have turned their brains off as well.

      --
      #DeleteChrome
    6. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by epyT-R · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I think you've watched too much sci-fi. Also, there is more to life than safety. Having control over one's transport is a core component of liberal (as in liberty) society.

    7. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Surprise! People like you turned your brain off a long, long time ago, and have no plans to turn it back on! You just want to consume, consume, consume, get nice and fat and be lazy pieces of shit, and DGAF. Never mind that your 'autonomous cars' will be 100% able to be hijacked by the government (or whoever else) without a warrant 'for safety reasons', and you will have NO say about where your precious 'autonomous car' is taking you. You're a fucking piece of DUMB MEAT and will be treated as such. Meanwhile there are still plenty of us who value learning and practicing skills, being physically and mentally fit, and having more interest than just 'leasure time', aka 'being a fat lazy piece of crap that just eats, shits, sleeps, and fucks', and oh by the way having control over where we're going at all times, not a set of computer controls that some asshole can remotely commandeer for whatever bullshit reason. Just kill yourself, you're a disgrace to the human race.

    8. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Interesting since 82% of AAA members also wear adult diapers.

    9. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Even modern airline pilots don't like the idea of not having overrides on their planes.

      You should not draw deep conclusions from people that have a financial interest in their opinions. Of course pilots don't think they should be replaced with software. That doesn't really say anything out the merits of the idea.

    10. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      %100 of pussies need to wear helmets and bright orange vests to leave their house. Lifes greatest rewards come with risk. Stay off my hi-way young lazy wimp.

    11. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by kheldan · · Score: 1

      Nice to see that there are some on Slashdot who are thinking straight. I've said it before, and I'll keep saying it: Where human lives are at stake you must have a human being as the final unimpeachable failsafe system, and in an over-the-road vehicle, that means you must have a full set of manual controls, and the operator of said vehicle must be educated, trained, tested, and licensed (as well as insured) at all times. To do otherwise is sheer madness, and so far as I'm concerned, anyone who actually believes that an 'autonomous car' can be solely in control 100% of the time, and have no direct manual controls for a human, is not thinking clearly at all. It's Science Fantasy, plain and simple, and it has no place in the Real World. An 'autonomous helper' in your car? Sure. Having a 'Jeeves' that you just tell where you want to go, then take a nap? Absolutely not, and we see here a glimpse that the vast majority of people think exactly the same way.

      --
      Are YOU using the TOOL, or is the TOOL using YOU? Think about it!
    12. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by hawguy · · Score: 0

      I think you've watched too much sci-fi. Also, there is more to life than safety. Having control over one's transport is a core component of liberal (as in liberty) society.

      You should travel more - many many people live happy fulfilling lives without ever driving a car. Or some drive but don't own a car. And it's not just in developing nations, many people in world class cities enjoy the freedom of *not* having a car. I would buy a self-driving car today even if it was limited to 35mph since I get no special joy from driving.

      Some people enjoy shooting guns, and I have no problem with that as long as they do it in wilderness areas or shooting ranges where they have little or no chance of killing people. I hope cars become the same way - the death rate by cars in the USA just recently dropped low enough to equal the death rate by gun, and I hope that self-driving cars make it drop dramatically lower. 10,000 people die each year in drunk driving accidents alone and self driving cars never get drunk.

    13. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Hadlock · · Score: 1

      No, having control over your transport is a core component of suburban lifestyle. I think you'll find most humans in most cities do NOT own a car, globally it is way less than one car per household. That's cool that you like your car, but you're in the minority for owning one.

      --
      moox. for a new generation.
    14. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 5, Insightful

      1. Response time is only a small part of the equation.

      Actually, response time is a pretty big part of the equation. Even a one second faster response can avoid many accidents, and greatly reduce the severity of others. Only situational awareness is more important, and computers win there too.

    15. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by hambone142 · · Score: 1

      Software bugs.
      Hardware failures (yeah, redundant systems).
      Hacking.
      Government surveillance.
      Likely many more issues.

    16. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by hambone142 · · Score: 0

      Glad one can entrust their lives (in come cases) to a slacker that was given a train to drive. Sorry they got distracted with a cellphone whilst running it.
      Better yet, hired due to a requirement other than competence.
      No thanks.

    17. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Roger+W+Moore · · Score: 2

      Even modern airline pilots don't like the idea of not having overrides on their planes.

      I'd not trust an autonomous car if there were no manual override. Computers may be able to drive better than the average human but the human brain is less prone to a spontaneous crash from an errant cosmic ray flipping a bit when doing 110 km/h down the motorway.

    18. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 1

      Right... add a few snowflakes and suddenly the computer has no idea which way is up.

      That was true of the Google algorithms from several years ago. It is not true today. Tesla Autopilot has no problem recognizing lanes in the snow. In addition to cameras and other sensors, it also has a route database from hundreds or thousands of other cars that have driven the same road.

      The technology is just not ready yet. It will get there eventually

      SDCs have already driven millions of miles on public roads, and have a far better safety record than human drivers. They are not perfect, but perfection is a ridiculous standard. They just have to be better than human drivers. That is not a high bar.

    19. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by epyT-R · · Score: 5, Insightful

      That's not the point. This isn't about replacing cars with trains or living in rat warrens where overpriced crap is shipped in (by truck drivers no less). This is about replacing self driving cars with 'autonomous' ones. Just because you would be happy with 35Mph doesn't mean the rest of us should slow down and lose liberty because you want to be lazy. If you don't want to drive, pay someone to drive or move to the rat warren nearest you.

      There's a reason we still put humans behind the controls of already mostly automated vehicles. Even there, look what happens to airline pilots: they get bored, drink, fall asleep, and when something does go wrong they're not in a condition to deal with it. Same thing with train operators, and that solution only has to deal with a fixed path. Since ground-based free-roving is much more complex than air or track, I have strong doubts about these ever being safer. Maybe if/when quantum computing really takes off and sensor tech is better than it is now...

    20. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by epyT-R · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Being in the minority does not make one's position invalid.

    21. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by epyT-R · · Score: 1

      Only situational awareness is more important, and computers win there too.

      You couldn't be more wrong on this.

      Also, if reaction time were that important, than teenagers would be safer drivers than the elderly. Obviously, if it's way off, (say by intoxication), accident rates go up, but the difference between 20ms and 200 is lost in the noise of being able to see that obstacle for what it is long before 20ms reactions are needed.

    22. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by hawguy · · Score: 2, Insightful

      That's not the point. This isn't about replacing cars with trains or living in rat warrens where overpriced crap is shipped in (by truck drivers no less). This is about replacing self driving cars with 'autonomous' ones. Just because you would be happy with 35Mph doesn't mean the rest of us should slow down and lose liberty because you want to be lazy. If you don't want to drive, pay someone to drive or move to the rat warren nearest you.

      There's a reason we still put humans behind the controls of already mostly automated vehicles. Even there, look what happens to airline pilots: they get bored, drink, fall asleep, and when something does go wrong they're not in a condition to deal with it. Same thing with train operators, and that solution only has to deal with a fixed path. Since ground-based free-roving is much more complex than air or track, I have strong doubts about these ever being safer. Maybe if/when quantum computing really takes off and sensor tech is better than it is now...

      Your individual freedom ends just before my bumper, so if self-driving cars result in a significant decrease in accidents, I have little sympathy for your desire to be able to T-bone my car in an intersection and kill my family when you missed the stop sign because you sneezed.

      I said that *I* would be willing to buy a 35mph self driving car, I don't expect you to, but when self-driving cars can drive the speed limit on roads of all types (and perhaps even reduce congestion through better traffic management), then driving your own car will be a novelty that only a few holdouts like you will want.

      The media age of AAA members is 54 years old, in the 15 - 20 years before self driving cars reach that level of driving, most of those members will be too old to drive safely (and ironically, they'll be happy for the freedom afforded to them through self-driving cars)

    23. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 2

      It's a matter of public health - if self driving cars will save lives, they should be required. Just like vaccines. Of course, there will be the anti-robot-cars movement, but they'll have to stay on private property with their old fashioned manually driving cars -- with steering wheels if you can imagine such a thing! How quaint!

      I have a suspicion that for 99 percent of the time, they will reduce accidents to a amazing minimum.

      That one percent is going to be a spectacular bloodbath. Might be interesting to watch a few thousand cars slam into each other at 80 miles per hour. Just don't think about the carnage.

      Let's say you have a computer controlling the car that is never ever going to fail. 100 percent reliable.

      So do we have any cars that are 100 percent reliable mechanically?

      I've been in 4 accidents that were the result of plain old mechanical failure - a driveshaft failure, a master cylinder freeze-up, a lower A arm failure, and a young lady behind me had a brake failure and slammed into me from behind.

      Any of those accidents coud have been very spectacular, and all of them would have happened in an autonomous vehicle as well.

      Now don't get me wrong - I really really want lane assist, tailgating radar, and a lot of other helping devices.

      But the concept of us getting into our car, enjoying our cappuccino, and updating our facebook page while the car delivers us to work, travelling sans traffic jams bumper to bumper at 80 miles per hour, sorry, not remotely practical.And very safe, until it isn't. And I wonder if the ethics questions have been ironed out. If Bambi walks onto the highway, will the car decide to sacrifice you and hit it full speed, in odrer to not have apileup behind you? There are probably multiple scenarios where you might have to die, so that others may live. If your brakes fail will it run you off the mountain rather than cause a chain reaction collision?

      Sometimes tech oriented people forget that the computer and the software is only part of the equation.

      --
      The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
    24. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by wvmarle · · Score: 1

      Of course, train safety records are dismal at best, especially compared to vehicle safety records.

      Or don't your urban trains run fully automatic yet? Because where I live, they do.

    25. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by rtb61 · · Score: 1

      Come on get serious, I will only feel safe in an autonomous vehicle after having read the warranty and seeing in writing that the programmers involved will kill themselves should a bug in the code kill or even severely injure me ie I will trust the code as much as the programmers who wrote that code trust their own code, just saying.

      --
      Chaos - everything, everywhere, everywhen
    26. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by hawguy · · Score: 1

      It's a matter of public health - if self driving cars will save lives, they should be required. Just like vaccines. Of course, there will be the anti-robot-cars movement, but they'll have to stay on private property with their old fashioned manually driving cars -- with steering wheels if you can imagine such a thing! How quaint!

      I have a suspicion that for 99 percent of the time, they will reduce accidents to a amazing minimum.

      That one percent is going to be a spectacular bloodbath. Might be interesting to watch a few thousand cars slam into each other at 80 miles per hour. Just don't think about the carnage.

      I used to ride shotgun with a friend that was an EMT in a volunteer fire department - I've seen some real blood baths, no self driving cars required. I was on brain hunting duty at one accident scene, though I think he did that to keep me staring at the guy that lost his head (literally)

      But if the annual fatalities drop from 99% from 30,000 to 300, that still sounds like a net win, no matter how bloody the aftermath.

    27. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 1

      But if the annual fatalities drop from 99% from 30,000 to 300, that still sounds like a net win, no matter how bloody the aftermath.

      And if farts were gold, we'd be stinking rich!

      --
      The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
    28. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That depends where you are. They can't run fully automatically if they're at street level over any portion of the route.

      And at any rate, even with faster reaction time, a lot of the fatalities would still occur as they're because other idiots opted to walk in front of the train or push their luck trying to beat it out at a crossing.

    29. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by hawguy · · Score: 1

      But if the annual fatalities drop from 99% from 30,000 to 300, that still sounds like a net win, no matter how bloody the aftermath.

      And if farts were gold, we'd be stinking rich!

      I'm using your gold farts:

      I have a suspicion that for 99 percent of the time, they will reduce accidents to a amazing minimum.

      Admittedly you left yourself a lot of wiggle room with that sentence, perhaps you were already feeling gassy.

    30. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      A young lady behind me had a brake failure and slammed into me from behind.

      Most probably she was just distracted and made up that story.

      I hope you didn't miss that opportunity to slam that young lady from behind: quid pro quo, tit for tat, tit and tart.

    31. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Only situational awareness is more important, and computers win there too.

      You couldn't be more wrong on this.

      *SNIP*

      the difference between 20ms and 200 is lost in the noise of being able to see that obstacle for what it is long before 20ms reactions are needed.

      So was Bill wrong or right? You can't call him wrong then prove him right - in the same comment, no less!

    32. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Zeio · · Score: 1

      These cretins fly on planes all the time on autopilot. This trash of people being against self driving is just an emotional reaction by people who have no control over their lives and want to pretend they have a "vote" or a horse in the self driving race.

      Efficiency and safety will go up by a LOT with automation of driving. Resistance is more or less luddite-ism. For me, having 3-kids being able to be self driven for MORE activities is way better than having to split work and kids and pick winners and losers based on commute times.

      --
      Legalize the constitution. Think for yourself question authority.
    33. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by LiENUS · · Score: 2

      Having control over one's transport is a core component of liberal (as in liberty) society.

      We've reached the point with modern vehicles that the government has more control over your car than you do. See things like onstar. You already need to purchase an older vehicle if you want control over your transport. Throwing self-driving cars into the mix doesn't change that very much at all. But self driving vehicles do open up personal transport to people who are otherwise incapable of operating a vehicle. Thereby offering the same liberty you enjoy now to a wider range of people.

    34. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by LiENUS · · Score: 1

      Reaction time and experience are the two most important things. New computers will always come with faster reaction times and more experience. Whereas new drivers only come with faster reaction times, they always have less experience than the older models.

    35. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Where human lives are at stake you must have a human being as the final unimpeachable failsafe system, and in an over-the-road vehicle, that means you must have a full set of manual controls, and the operator of said vehicle must be educated, trained, tested, and licensed (as well as insured) at all times. To do otherwise is sheer madness, and so far as I'm concerned, anyone who actually believes that an 'autonomous car' can be solely in control 100% of the time, and have no direct manual controls for a human, is not thinking clearly at all

      The problem is that there is no time for a human to take control. Every time you get in your car you are trusting yourself and every other driver to do the right thing. There is no way that a human can react fast enough when the car barrelling down the highway decides to change into your lane. The only reason there are not more accidents is because people generally do the right thing when driving and luckily the car you're meeting on the highway usually stays in it's lane but when it doesn't there is a head on collision and people die but in many cases a computer with a much faster reaction time could manuever and possible prevent a fatality by taking the shoulder, etc...

    36. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      However, being in the majority does mean I can have it may way and there's nothing you can do about it.

    37. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by KGIII · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Encryption can be a matter of public health. Putting a back door into it might save lives. A back door should be required. Just like vaccines. Of course, there will be people who want to retain their liberties but they'll have to stay off the public infrastructure with their old fashioned rights - if you can imagine such a thing. How quaint!

      Yup. That's what you sound like. The only thing you skipped was "think of the children!"

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    38. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So by YOUR reasoning we should completely preclude the possibility of any human occupants of a vehicle taking any action to save themselves if something goes wrong, by eliminating any controls they could possibly use? Go fuck yourself sideways with a rusty chainsaw, asshole. I'll go back to riding motorcycles all the time and never drive a car again before I'd ever step foot into some four-wheeled deathtrap like that, that some pimply-faced squint may or may not have coded the control software properly for, or that some asshole hacker decides to take control of and run me into a stationary object at 100mph, or some government goon decides that I need to go somewhere THEY say rather than where I want to go. You idiots are living in a fantasy world right out of the pages of a comic book. Go take a bus if you don't want to drive, or get your mom to do it.

    39. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by KGIII · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Holy fuck dude. "Some people don't use their rights. They lead fulfilling lives. I'll decide what rights you have and how you use them - because I'm a coward."

      Again, why not just add, "Think of the children!!!" I sure as hell hope you don't have children. I'm sure as hell you'll find a way to keep justifying this to yourself. Now it's a matter of pride and it's not like you're going to actually stop wanting to take other people's ability to appreciate their freedoms. Never mind that this system can't work without it being monitored...

      I'm not going to change your mind, your ego is not willing to step aside. However, maybe you can consider not breeding or something. Unlike you, I won't force you to not breed. I'll just ask you nicely, for the sake of humanity.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    40. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by kheldan · · Score: 1

      Having control over one's transport is a core component of liberal (as in liberty) society.

      Thank You for restoring my faith in human intelligence and wisdom!

      --
      Are YOU using the TOOL, or is the TOOL using YOU? Think about it!
    41. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by KGIII · · Score: 1

      The car ownership rates are not what you think they are. There are 809 for every 1000 people (not even people of driving age) in the US. That excludes motorcycles.

      Come again?

      Hell, you probably don't even know what a city is. Seriously, you don't. The bit about more than half of the population living in urban areas? Yeah, that's because they changed the definition of urban for the 2010 census. All it takes is a town with 1500 people (or 2500 people if they have a residential institution) to be considered urban. It's not even a measure of density any more.

      'Tis okay, I'm sure you'll find further justifications.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    42. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by KGIII · · Score: 1

      Except you're not actually in the majority and, you're right, there's nothing you can do about it. Cars almost outnumber humans in the US. We have enough cars for almost every man, woman, and child. We have more cars than can be legally driven at any one time.

      As I said above 809 automobiles for 1000 people. That doesn't include motorcycles and the 1000 people is not how many can lawfully drive but includes children, people without a license, and city dwellers. And no, no most Americans do not live in a city - unless you want to redefine the word city. That stat's made up and is only true for the reasons listed in my above post.

      So, how do you like that? You can't have it your way and there's shit all you can do about it.

      This is America. You'll have better luck taking the firearms than you will taking the automobiles and the ability to control them.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    43. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by KGIII · · Score: 2

      It's called risk acceptance and it happens in a free society. I imagine you could eliminate even more jobs by having a minder, a cell to return to after work, and to be disallowed travel at all. Hell, there'd even be a lot of new jobs created for minders.

      I'm really getting sick of all you cowards trying to reduce our liberties in the name of safety. Further, I've seen you quote Jefferson's quote about liberty and safety. I imagine you'll be unable or unwilling to admit the irony. It's okay, I'm used to it.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    44. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by goose-incarnated · · Score: 1

      75% of American Horse Association riders say... They wouldn't feel safe in a mechanical beast.

      It's a popular but incorrect parallel to draw between (Horse and buggy whips vs Cars) and (cars vs something else). The new tech is*not* guaranteed to displace the old tech, but by doing the comparison you did, you make it appear that it is.

      After all, I'm guessing that 75% of cue-cat users didn't want to use it, 75% of VHS users didn't want to use Betamax, etc... the better tech doesn't always win.

      --
      I'm a minority race. Save your vitriol for white people.
    45. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by hawguy · · Score: 1

      Except you're not actually in the majority and, you're right, there's nothing you can do about it. Cars almost outnumber humans in the US. We have enough cars for almost every man, woman, and child. We have more cars than can be legally driven at any one time.

      As I said above 809 automobiles for 1000 people. That doesn't include motorcycles and the 1000 people is not how many can lawfully drive but includes children, people without a license, and city dwellers. And no, no most Americans do not live in a city - unless you want to redefine the word city. That stat's made up and is only true for the reasons listed in my above post.

      So, how do you like that?

      No one is disputing that America has a lot of cars, but I don't see how that relates to people moving to self-driving cars? My household owns 2 cars, but that doesn't mean that we enjoy driving, the car is just a tool to go places. I'd be happy to turn driving over to the car if it can get me there as safe or more safely as I can get myself there. People drive today because they have no choice (outside of a few cities with good transit).

      And no, no most Americans do not live in a city - unless you want to redefine the word city. That stat's made up and is only true for the reasons listed in my above post.

      “urbanized areas” of 50,000 or more people ... For the 2010 count, the Census Bureau has defined 486 urbanized areas, accounting for 71.2 percent of the U.S. population.
      http://www.citylab.com/housing...

      This is America. You'll have better luck taking the firearms than you will taking the automobiles and the ability to control them.

      Fewer and fewer young people are getting licenses -- By the time self driving cars are ready, that is the generation that will be deciding whether or not to embrace self driving cars.
      http://nypost.com/2016/01/31/w...

      And many drivers are forgoing car ownership through car sharing. Put the two together (fewer licensed drivers, acceptance of a non-owned vehicle), and the intersection is a self driving car.
      http://www.alixpartners.com/en...

      You can't have it your way and there's shit all you can do about it.

      It's not "my" way, it's the way of the drivers 20 years from now.

    46. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by KGIII · · Score: 2

      He's scared and needs someone to take away his liberties in order to make a safe space for him. I want to say, I can't be certain though, that I've seen them too quoting Franklin's statement on liberties and safety. The mental gymnastics required to hold these views are certainly worthy of a medal. No questions asked, they're well worth a medal. Ask 'em how they feel about back doors in encryption... Given that this system will require monitoring, ask 'em how they feel about data snooping.

      What really amuses me, and nobody has done it yet this thread, is someone often pipes up about how Google's car has gone so many miles while operating in autonomous mode without causing an accident. I've only timed it right a couple of times but my question is always, "And how many times would it have caused an action without human intervention?" That usually gets a derailing reply, a "fuck you," and it's "still just a prototype." Well, if they wanted to use those numbers, let's use them - let's use the real numbers.

      That said, I fully support the idea of autonomous vehicles as an option. Yes, human driving does mean that bad things will sometimes happen to otherwise good people. So be it. That's a risk we take for the sake of liberty. The thing is, when there's an accident - the fault is a human. When there's an accident with an AV, the fault is not with a human that's even in the vehicle or anywhere near the vehicle. People seem unwilling to grasp that or acknowledge it. Instead, they're wanting to discuss insurance rates.

      It's damned amusing. It's sad but all you can do is look at the absurdity and laugh. "I'm scared. Someone make the danger go away! Take away my liberty until I have no risks. I'm unwilling to accept the consequences that come with living in a society." It's not really insulting to say that they're fucking pathetic because that's a statement grounded in reality.

      The sniveling coward wants to take away you liberties because someone might poke an eye out. You know what? Maybe these cowards do need a place to live? Maybe they should have their own State or country or something. I say we send 'em to Somalia where they can have all the governance they want. Trust me, I've been to Somalia. It's not not like people claim. There is no lack of government. In fact, they're *over* governed.

      The best part is that there's someone out there (lots of them) who doesn't actually understand that statement and would argue against it. However, they're wrong. Somalians are governed far more than many, many other people. It's not a good government and it's sure as hell not a democracy or a representative government but they sure as hell have plenty of governance and government - complete with paperwork.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    47. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by hawguy · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Holy fuck dude. "Some people don't use their rights. They lead fulfilling lives. I'll decide what rights you have and how you use them - because I'm a coward."

      Wow, have built quite the strawman, haven't you? There's a big difference between your "rights" and letting a car drive for you. Driving isn't even a right, it's a privilege, tell a judge that takes away your license for DUI that he's violating your constitutional right to drive, and he'll laugh you out of the court.

      Again, why not just add, "Think of the children!!!" I sure as hell hope you don't have children. I'm sure as hell you'll find a way to keep justifying this to yourself. Now it's a matter of pride and it's not like you're going to actually stop wanting to take other people's ability to appreciate their freedoms. Never mind that this system can't work without it being monitored...

      I do have children, but don't worry, they are all grown up so I can't poison them with my crazy thinking anymore. Neither one has a car because they both live in World Class cities with adequate transit (NYC & Paris)

      I'm not going to change your mind, your ego is not willing to step aside. However, maybe you can consider not breeding or something. Unlike you, I won't force you to not breed. I'll just ask you nicely, for the sake of humanity.

      People are just not good drivers, surely you can admit to that? 30,000 driving deaths a year, 30% of them due to DUI alone. The driving fatality is falling and will fall even further as manufacturers add more automatic features like collision avoidance, blind spot checking, pedestrian warnings, lane keeping, etc. You won't even notice that you bought a self-driving car because it's not going to be a revolution, it's going to be a slow-evolution.

    48. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Having control over one's transport is a core component of liberal (as in liberty) society.

      Except driving is not now nor has it ever been a right.

    49. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by 0100010001010011 · · Score: 1

      For a tech site Slashdot sure has its cluster of Luddites.

      It's no wonder they're being replaced by H1Bs. I bet most guys here still want to use punch cards as well.

    50. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by hawguy · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Encryption can be a matter of public health. Putting a back door into it might save lives. A back door should be required. Just like vaccines. Of course, there will be people who want to retain their liberties but they'll have to stay off the public infrastructure with their old fashioned rights - if you can imagine such a thing. How quaint!

      Yup. That's what you sound like. The only thing you skipped was "think of the children!"

      Show me 30,000 people killed a year by strong encryption - heck, show me 3 people killed a year by strong encryption.

    51. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by hawguy · · Score: 1

      For a tech site Slashdot sure has its cluster of Luddites.

      It's no wonder they're being replaced by H1Bs. I bet most guys here still want to use punch cards as well.

      I suspect that Slashdot's demographic has aged as much as AAA's - not many young kids around here these days.

    52. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by KGIII · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Reaction time is nearly insignificant if you're driving properly and using situational awareness to ensure you don't need to rely on reaction time. You're on a public highway, drive like it.

      I'm reminded of a kid in here who posted a couple of weeks ago. He was happily pointing out that a good driver will always be hitting their brakes and turning sharply. That's the exact opposite of the truth.

      I kind of hate to do this but I'm going to do the whole appeal to authority thing. I've driven professionally. I was initially trained in that capacity by the US Government. I've since taken countless additional courses - and can drive most anything with wheels. I can even get a loaded double-clutching 21 speed dump up to speed and control it when it gets there. I've taken dozens (and dozens more) courses for on and off-track driving. I rally on an amateur circuit when I've time. I've spent about two weeks in Germany taking classroom instruction and then hiring a coach and renting exotics and done a pile of laps on Nurburgring. I can go on - and I will, if you want. I've even taken advanced asset protection courses, can parallel park a truck and trailer (with a water-bowl attached) - that'd be about 72' long, by the way which is shorter than some of what you see on the road but still pretty long. It was not a sleeper cab or anything. Like I said, I can go on...

      At any rate, the initial sentence isn't entirely accurate. Yes, reaction time is important but no - it shouldn't be. It's very seldom important if you're doing your job. In all but the rarest of rarest events, the primary reason for an accident is that someone was driving too fast for the conditions. (Before folks argue with that, reread it.) I dare say, I'm actually able to speak as an authoritative source on this. I'm not that binary, really. Reaction time is important but it needn't be (shouldn't be) nearly as important as you make it out to be - not if you're doing what you can to drive safely. Of course, it helps if others are also driving safely. What are the chances of that?

      And yes, I know you're not alone on the road but you can take many steps to mitigate risks. If you see someone driving like an idiot, move away from them. Be alert not just to the vehicles around you but to how they're driving. Keep a good margin of safety between you and the other vehicles and reaction time becomes less and less important.

      I do speed, don't get me wrong. I just save it for track day or a rally. I don't drive slow, not by any means. I have zero at-fault accidents on my record - I have been hit from the rear by an idiot in Boston. If you've driven in Boston, you'd understand that there are some really shitty drivers. I was stopped at a light and had been there for at least 30 seconds. I do have one speeding ticket but it has been off my record for a very long time. I got it in 1978 (I think?). I have zero moving violations. I have had three parking tickets, two of which were because someone else had borrowed my car, I'm still liable. The remaining one was mine. The sign was rather complicated including days of the week, hours, etc... It's my fault, I should have not parked there unless I understood the sign.

      So, no... Reaction time isn't really that important. It certainly shouldn't be and even if it is, due to circumstances beyond your control, there are ways to mitigate that and have more time to react and maneuver safely in the event of an emergency situation. You should ALWAYS have room and time to bring yourself to a complete stop without hitting any possible obstructions, regardless. That's your job as a driver. I'm well aware that others can make this a problem and that there are things beyond your control. It is not as binary as it could be and sometimes shit happens.

      It is incumbent on the driver to be in full control of their vehicle at all times. Full control means the ability to stop safely. If you're doing a panic stop, you're doing it wrong. (And, of course, there are exceptions to that. But it's generally true - even if

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    53. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by vtcodger · · Score: 1

      Would you feel safe in a vehicle driven by Clippy?

      (Once Clippy gets a few hundred million miles under his belt and get a few thousand bugs ironed out, he should be a very adequate chauffeur).

      --
      You can't see ANYTHING from a car, You've got to get out of the goddamned contraption and walk...Edward Abbey
    54. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by stoborrobots · · Score: 1

      ... the human brain is less prone to a spontaneous crash from an errant cosmic ray flipping a bit when doing 110 km/h down the motorway.

      Cosmic rays, sure.

      Things that do crash human attention and judgement include:

      • That bright flashy advertisement on the shoulder
      • That chick in the next car with a nice rack
      • The screaming kid in the back seat who just dropped his icecream
      • A sneeze
      • A yawn
      • Shit, what's that noise?
      • Oh, look, a pony!
      • Eww, what's that smell?
      • Why is that car pulled over? / Oh, look, an accident!
      • AAAAARRRHHH, THERE'S A SPIDER ON THE DASHBOARD!
      • What did the passenger just say?
      • What's the speed limit in on this road?
      • What is that car doing?

      And those are just things which have taken *my* attention off the road. Fortunately, in most of those situations, I've had good road placement beforehand, and so have generally avoided collisions due to those issues, but I don't think I've seen any situation where I think I'd be less likely to crash than a computer...

      And I don't think random cosmic bit errors occur as often as any of those situations, and on top of all that we already have autonomous systems which can deal with unreliable computers - m-out-of-n control systems have been around since forever.

    55. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm with you. Damn fobiacs should stop trying to limit other people's lives with all these excuses.

    56. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by vtcodger · · Score: 1

      Given luck, in the long run, you may end up with something a bit more flexible and perhaps more satisfactory for you. Something along the line of in rural areas, you can drive if you wish and optionally have the vehicle keep you informed about what's happening around the upcoming curves. In urban areas, automatic control is mandatory except in emergencies or when the vehicle pulls over and tells you "I give up. You handle this situation".

      Why mandatory automatic control in cities? Because in principle, automatic cars operating cooperatively probably can move more cars through a city more safely and in less time than can tens of thousands of drunks, crazies, adolescents(of all ages), geezers, etc,etc,etc.

      Of course it might not work like that at all. We could end up with something as fundamentally screwed up as today's personal computing domain.

      --
      You can't see ANYTHING from a car, You've got to get out of the goddamned contraption and walk...Edward Abbey
    57. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by vtcodger · · Score: 1

      "Most probably she was just distracted and made up that story."

      Perhaps.

      But It's also entirely possible that her brake master cylinder failed. It happened to me once not all that many years ago. The brake finally worked about the third time I pumped the pedal.. Drive long enough and it may happen to you.

      OTOH, she was probably following too closely and not paying a lot of attention and quite possibly driving too fast ... because that's the way many (it seems like most) people drive.

      --
      You can't see ANYTHING from a car, You've got to get out of the goddamned contraption and walk...Edward Abbey
    58. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by vtcodger · · Score: 1

      "you must have a human being as the final unimpeachable failsafe system, and in an over-the-road vehicle, that means you must have a full set of manual controls"

      Absolutely!!! At least for the next decade or two. Maybe eventually, car autonomy will reach the point where a crappy joystick or touchscreen or voice interface will be OK for the once in a decade situation where you need to navigate around a fallen tree and where vehicles without qualified operators simply pull over, stop safely and start screaming "Help,Help,Help..." when confronted with a bad situation.

      But for now, steering wheels, brakes, and accelerators belong in all cars.

      --
      You can't see ANYTHING from a car, You've got to get out of the goddamned contraption and walk...Edward Abbey
    59. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Chatterton · · Score: 1

      Even if a cosmic ray flip a bit and the computer then think it should do some crazy stuff at that moment. 1/100 of a second later it will correct itself and due to the law of physics and the mass of the vehicle nothing will happen.

    60. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Nice to see that there are some on Slashdot who are thinking straight. I've said it before, and I'll keep saying it: Where human lives are at stake you must have a human being as the final unimpeachable failsafe system

      Bridges puts human lives at stake. They typically just stand there without continuous supervision.
      Elevators put human lives at stake, but again there is no human supervisor.
      If you look around you you will realize that there are thousands of automated things in society that we trust our lives with. Everything from traffic lights to fire alarms.
      When you call 911 or 112 you rely on automation to send you phone call to the right destination.

      What bothers me is that you wait until automated cars to be bothered. You should go out protest the things that are already in place instead of the things that might get automated eventually.

    61. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 1

      Unless the very fact that there are more counterexamples than examples counts as the invalidation.

      --
      Ezekiel 23:20
    62. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by bigfinger76 · · Score: 1

      Was the invention of power steering an affront to your rights? Power brakes? This is simply a further abstraction of driving (admittedly a huge one). You're being a bit melodramatic.

    63. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by dave420 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      You are assuming that having the car drive for you is taking away your liberty, when that has yet to be illustrated. You still get to go to your chosen destination, only safer. You are arguing like the car will refuse to drive, or only drive to a re-education camp or something.

      How about the liberty of others to not be killed by some terribly-driving lunatic? It's not about being scared, but taking sensible steps to reduce avoidable death and destruction.

      While I don't always agree with you, usually you make reasoned arguments. This time it's just crude emotion - you might want to figure out if you are arguing with your heart or your brain.

    64. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Dutch+Gun · · Score: 2

      Apparently, drivers aged 64-69 are statistically the safest drivers on the road. My guess is that they're in the sweet spot between reaction times, experience, and a reasonable awareness of their own mortality. Given that, you can likely infer that lightning fast reaction times are actually not hugely important in being a safe driver. My guess is that not rushing everywhere in such a damned hurry (why rush when you're retired?) and simply paying attention are the most important factors.

      --
      Irony: Agile development has too much intertia to be abandoned now.
    65. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 1

      Although if you're forced by your environment to exercise that right (being a "core component"), it's not a right anymore. It's a nuisance. It's not like that people in less-motorized societies don't have the right to have cars.

      --
      Ezekiel 23:20
    66. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by dave420 · · Score: 2

      There is also a case that strong encryption saves lives, so this is clearly not a comparable discussion. Humans are terrible drivers, and that some people enjoy a necessary inefficiency of the past shouldn't condemn tens of thousands of people to their deaths each year.

      Seriously - you are arguing from emotion. Just admit it. The thought of you not being able to drive scares you so much you are resorting to pathetic arguments and nebulous justifications to make the bad thoughts go away, something far below your usual, insightful arguments.

    67. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Dutch+Gun · · Score: 1

      I think a lot of tech people are jaded or skeptical because of the shitty quality of software they see where they work or that they experience in person. It's important to remember that not all software is like that - you're surrounded by mission critical software in many situations, but you probably don't think much about it. My prediction is that eventually these cars will reduce vehicular injuries and deaths by one to two orders of magnitude, but it's going to take some time and serious effort to reach that level of quality.

      Naturally, it's also going to take some time for these car companies to earn the average consumer's trust - I think that's only natural and reasonable, especially that "trust" for them is in somewhat short supply right now. Sure, there are going to be some brave souls willing to buy the first fully autonomous vehicles out there. I'm perfectly willing to let them validate that the cars are safe and reliable, but I'm not going to be against them getting there.

      --
      Irony: Agile development has too much intertia to be abandoned now.
    68. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by RoboJ1M · · Score: 1

      I'm not young, but I know dumb.
      These little-americaners thing the "the guv'ment" will be coming in black helicopters to take away their freedom (cars).
      What they don't understand is that's not how it will happen.
      What will happen, is people will buy self driving cars and stop driving manually.
      Simply by choice.
      Just in the same way people stopped riding horses.
      The down side of all this is, of course, the horse went extinct and nobody can ride a horse any more. ..oh wait..

    69. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Jack+Griffin · · Score: 1

      They wouldn't feel safe in a mechanical beast.

      Lets see, a computer with a sample rate of 1000 Hz always on, always watching 360 degrees or Grandma that hasn't had to renew her license since she started losing vision or a teenager trying to take a selfie.

      But can't recognise the safer option between running over a sandbag or hitting a bus.
      And most people aren't grandmas, but nice attempt at a strawman.

      I don't care if it takes twice as long to get anywhere (30 MPH max), as long as I can turn my brain off and do something else I'm happy.

      You already have that option, it's called a public transport.

    70. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Jack+Griffin · · Score: 1

      Driving isn't even a right, it's a privilege, tell a judge that takes away your license for DUI that he's violating your constitutional right to drive, and he'll laugh you out of the court.

      Yet owning an AK47 is. Don't you find that absurd?

      I do have children, but don't worry, they are all grown up so I can't poison them with my crazy thinking anymore. Neither one has a car because they both live in World Class cities with adequate transit (NYC & Paris)

      Good point. Do you think they'll ever own robot cars? Cars make no sense in well designed large cities, since as you say good public transport can do it better.

      People are just not good drivers, surely you can admit to that?

      But not all people. Most people get through their whole lives without dying in a car accident.

      You won't even notice that you bought a self-driving car because it's not going to be a revolution, it's going to be a slow-evolution.

      I'll know because it'll cost more. Or do you think all cameras, radar, sonar, liability insurance etc is free?

    71. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by dave420 · · Score: 1

      True - it's reaction time and attentiveness to the road, two things computers are a lot better at than people.

    72. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by RoboJ1M · · Score: 1

      Exactly!
      And think what it would do for unemployment, it would be amazing!
      You'd have to find more people there would be so many roles to fill.
      Not many bridge watchers, but lots of elevator operators.
      And emergency traffic light operators. Sitting in their little booths.

    73. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Jack+Griffin · · Score: 2

      No one is disputing that America has a lot of cars, but I don't see how that relates to people moving to self-driving cars?

      TFA says most people don't want them. I understand this is a nerd forum, and nerds love technology even when it makes no sense, but you have to accept that a lot of people probably don't care for automated cars*.


      Note: I do some some value in a robot car for some people (old, young, drunk etc), but there's a whole lot more where people actually want to drive themselves.

    74. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Jack+Griffin · · Score: 1

      If there is a safer way to do things and the only downside is not being able to drive on main roads, then we should go for it.

      I think that's the same reasoning they used to implement the TSA...

    75. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by RoboJ1M · · Score: 2

      Other things self driving cars will do (apart from erode liberties apparently *laughs*)

      1) Automatically drive to where *you* are and pick you up.
      2) Drive you home if you're drunk.
      3) No parking in the centre of town? No problem, car drops you off and goes home
      4) Done shopping? Car picks you up, or collects the shopping.
      5) Taxis? Out of business.
      6) Uber? How about your car earns you money ferrying people about while your sat at your desk at work.
      7) Highway speeds? 200mph, manual drive cars are banned.

      I look forward to the day.

    76. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by drinkypoo · · Score: 2

      Any of those accidents coud have been very spectacular, and all of them would have happened in an autonomous vehicle as well.

      Yes, but the car might well be better at mitigating (or even avoiding!) the accidents than you are. Remember, driving aids kick in before you even know there is a problem. My 1997 Audi A8 is better at threshold braking than you are, or than I am, or in fact than anyone is, and it only has Bosch ABS 5.0. ABS 5.3 has a steering wheel sensor and "ESP", AKA active yaw control. Even if something falls off the car, it's still going to do a better job of correcting than you are. It's also going to do a better job of slowing the vehicle.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    77. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      Driving isn't even a right, it's a privilege, tell a judge that takes away your license for DUI that he's violating your constitutional right to drive, and he'll laugh you out of the court.

      The constitution was never meant to exhaustively enumerate your rights. While you are correct about the outcome of that experiment, the federal government's assistance with the car companies crushing public transport in the USA should constitute a de facto right to drive, because it deliberately deprecated all non-automotive forms of transport and increased the rich-poor divide.

      People are just not good drivers, surely you can admit to that?

      The problem domain of driving is unnecessarily large. We should have PRT by now, but auto companies. Car sharing is the technology that will get us there, by eliminating car companies' arguments against PRT, namely that it will mean we will require less vehicles. Well, us having less vehicles is already on the horizon.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    78. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by dave420 · · Score: 1

      Yes, you can do all those things. A computer will be quicker at doing all of them, and from the evidence collected so far, will be more likely to avoid situations requiring such action to begin with. If everyone was as good a driver as you are, you'd make a lot of sense. As it is, people's safety using the roads should not be put in jeopardy because some other people like jeopardizing it simply to enjoy their hobby.

      You really are arguing from emotion, and the contrast between the quality of your arguments in this thread and threads on other subjects is stark.

    79. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by dargaud · · Score: 1

      I have a computer engineer colleague who's a muscle car/motorbike enthusiast (to use the better term) and he's convinced that robocars will never interest anyone because he LIKES to drive and he thinks everybody else is the same. Oh man, he's going to be surprised once the accident stats are out in a decade or two and human drivers are banned altogether !

      --
      Non-Linux Penguins ?
    80. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by dave420 · · Score: 1

      I think it's a condemnation of their anti-automated-cars position to begin with if they only apply this logic to cars and not - as you pointed out - the many cases which fly in the face of the argument.

    81. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by KGIII · · Score: 2

      You can't be that retarded. That has to be trolling. It has to be.

      Yes, the guy pointing out that liberty has consequences and risks is the one arguing from emotion - not the guy who's saying, "OH NO! PEOPLE DIE! BAN IT!"

      You can't possibly be that stupid. Well, you can be. I have seen you say stupid shit before but this one's up there.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    82. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Driving is now and has always been a right, just like pretty much all forms of transportation..

    83. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by KGIII · · Score: 0

      Quit sniveling, coward. Seriously. I can't possibly respect you enough to give you any further consideration. There is nothing you can do to earn anything more than disdain at this point. I've seen old ladies with more courage than you. "I want to take your rights 'cause I'm scared!"

      The ability to travel free, and without monitoring, is a rather essential liberty. AVs will, no doubt, require monitoring and will limit where you can go. No, no I'm not okay with that being forced on people because you're unable to control your bladder. You get off the road and leave everyone else's rights alone.

      You're dismissed.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    84. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Drivers between 64-69 are also the youngest drivers that don't typically have to commute during peak traffic hours and have to navigate the least dangerous situations.

    85. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by WalksOnDirt · · Score: 1

      I'm really getting sick of all you cowards trying to reduce our liberties in the name of safety. Further, I've seen you quote Jefferson's quote about liberty and safety.

      Hey, this is not a private conversation! What did Jefferson say?

      Although this Benjamin Franklin quote seems appropriate: "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."

      --
      a,e,i,o,u and sometimes w and y (at be if of up cwm by)
    86. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by stealth_finger · · Score: 2

      You could drive in racetracks or other closed courses where people are willing to be put in that kind of risk. When you get on a shared interstate and are inches away from hurtling buckets of metal, I would certainly hope there would be some kind of automated safety control. Personally, I think it's pretty crazy that we have gone so long without really acknowledging how dangerous it is. If there is a safer way to do things and the only downside is not being able to drive on main roads, then we should go for it.

      There is a safer way, it's called walking but it's real slow and takes ages to get anywhere. I guess you could walk down to the cotton wool store then to somewhere you can wrap yourself up to insulate yourself from all the very many dangers this world poses.

      --
      Wanna buy a shirt?
      https://www.redbubble.com/people/stealthfinger/shop?asc=u
    87. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by stealth_finger · · Score: 1

      Having control over one's transport is a core component of liberal (as in liberty) society.

      Except driving is not now nor has it ever been a right.

      Get a license, you now have the right to drive. Move along.

      --
      Wanna buy a shirt?
      https://www.redbubble.com/people/stealthfinger/shop?asc=u
    88. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by stealth_finger · · Score: 1

      Sometimes tech oriented people forget that the computer and the software is only part of the equation.

      All software is is a big list of instructions, as soon as the car encounters something it has no instruction for it will crash, and then probably crash.

      --
      Wanna buy a shirt?
      https://www.redbubble.com/people/stealthfinger/shop?asc=u
    89. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by stealth_finger · · Score: 1

      Show me 30,000 people killed a year by strong encryption - heck, show me 3 people killed a year by strong encryption.

      Ask the FBI, by the way they go on strong encryption has killed millions.

      --
      Wanna buy a shirt?
      https://www.redbubble.com/people/stealthfinger/shop?asc=u
    90. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by dcollins117 · · Score: 1

      For a tech site Slashdot sure has its cluster of Luddites.

      I'd consider myself more a late adopter of technology. Before getting into an autonomous vehicle, I'd like to see evidence on how well they work on a steep incline during a snowstorm. What happens under zero traction conditions - black ice is common in my area and streets flood leaving rocks left behind which act like ball bearings when you drive over them. How well do these cars operate off road?

      More importantly, my concern is how these cars will perform when a malicious agent intentionally tries to cause failure. There are people out there who intentionally cause "accidents" to collect the insurance money. I'd need to see how autonomous vehicles handle real world hazards before risking my life.

    91. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Drethon · · Score: 1

      I write software for aircraft systems. Even at the level of certification required there, bugs slip through. Mostly innocuous but bugs nonetheless. I'm sure that software will be safer than humans at driving cars, I just don't want to beta test that software.

    92. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by smooth+wombat · · Score: 1

      It's a matter of public health - if self driving cars will save lives, they should be required.

      If it's about public health then we should ban all illegal drugs and tightly control prescription drugs because they kill more people every year than are killed in car accidents.

      While we're at it, and since it's all about public health, we should ban all smoking and tobacco products, get rid of all alcoholic products, require the obese to undergo stomach banding, get rid of every form of junk food (no cookies, no cakes, no cereals with sugar, etc), any type of food high in fat (no more pizzas), and the list goes to protect public health. That is what you want, right?

      with steering wheels if you can imagine such a thing! How quaint!

      Yes, how horrible that someone else wants to enjoy themselves by driving a car. The horror of independence and self-reliability. What is the world coming to?

      --
      We will bankrupt ourselves in the vain search for absolute security. -- Dwight D. Eisenhower
    93. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by RockDoctor · · Score: 1

      Driving isn't even a right, it's a privilege,

      Reinforcing this point to people is one of the (beneficial) side effects of the position that I have long advocated that people who gain a driving license should all lose it license a set number of years after they pass the test, and be required to re-sit the ( $NOW$-current) test.

      About every 10 years would probably be right for everyone, though you could make a case for novice drivers (defined as those who have only passed the test once) only getting a 5-year license. A few tweaks around the edges, so that you can bring the date of your loss-of licence forward by a few months, if you present your booking for professional driving instruction between $NOW$ and the date you're proposing to voluntarily surrender your licence. But besides that, no "if", no "but" and no "maybe" - you will lose your licence and you know you will lose your licence and have to prove your competence behind the wheel again.

      I have to re-sit my aircraft passenger exam at 3-year intervals (including the underwater escape tests). Aircraft pilots have to prove their competence at handling engine failure in a realistic simulator at regular intervals. I don't see any reason that drivers should get away with passing their test once and never sitting it again.

      As a freebie, the question of medical unfitness to drive becomes (almost) a non-issue. The developing case of dementia, the single diabetes-induced fainting fit, or the Parkinsonian tremors simply trigger an automatic revocation of the driving license. No "if", no "but" and no "maybe" - you now have to prove your competence to drive, and may have to do so at more frequent intervals as your disease progresses. (It was the diabetes that caused my Mum to surrender her license, less than a decade after she got it.)

      --
      Birds are not dinosaur descendants;birds are dinosaurs, for all useful meanings of "birds", "are" and "dinosaurs"
    94. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by AmiMoJo · · Score: 2

      Automotive computers have to be hardened against things like random bit flips. There are a number of ways of doing that, ranging from simply storing every variable twice in two different memory locations to having two identical computers that must agree with each other.

      We are getting to the point where a lot of this can be automated. CPUs that support dual, identical RAM banks with EEC correction. Dual sensors with error detection built in.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    95. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      People don't feel safe in airplanes, despite their excellent safety record (at least in comparison to cars).

      The main problem is that people won't feel safe unless they are empowered over the machine, because they have the irrational belief that choosing their destiny is better than a better outcome. The reason it is irrational is because even if they know that choosing their destiny will lead to a worse outcome, they will prefer it over the better outcome where they feel dis-empowered.

      An extension of a person's vanity is the irrational belief they they will always choose the best course. Perhaps when they are always focused at the task at hand, and when they have developed their skill to a level of excellence, they would. However, people rarely stay in such a state for very long, and the illusion of control is still mostly an illusion.

    96. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by dave420 · · Score: 2

      Nearly - once you have your license, you are licensed to drive. The clue is in the name.

    97. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by dave420 · · Score: 2

      This kind of proves my point. I was being civil, attempting to point out that your are undoing yourself very publicly, and you resort to thrashing around like a disgruntled toddler who has been threatened with their toys being taken away.

      You are arguing from emotion, not logic. This is why you are making no sense, using terrible arguments, being unusually rude, and arguing for an illogical position. It's OK - you are human - but it would help you massively to simply admit it. We can then get on to having an actual discussion like adults.

    98. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Nope. You must first obtain a license and that license can be revoked at any time. Driving is a privilege, not a right.

    99. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Alien+among+you · · Score: 1

      My household owns 2 cars, but that doesn't mean that we enjoy driving, the car is just a tool to go places. I'd be happy to turn driving over to the car if it can get me there as safe or more safely as I can get myself there. People [*] drive today because they have no choice (outside of a few cities with good transit).

      [*] in my household

      My household has three vehicles, which must mean that we enjoy driving. People drive because they enjoy it.

    100. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I think you've watched too much sci-fi. Also, there is more to life than safety. Having control over one's transport is a core component of liberal (as in liberty) society.

      I think a large percentage of people treat cars like toasters: just get the job done.

      For commuting to work, I'd want an auto-drive car with the option of self-drive when it wasn't bumper-to-bumper, stop-and-go. Most of the time traffic conditions don't warrant "fun driving".

      For absolute fun, I'll hop on my motorcycle.

    101. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by elrous0 · · Score: 1

      Automotive computers have to be hardened against things like random bit flips.

      Sure, right after Microsoft makes a Windows that never crashes.

      --
      SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
    102. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by dave420 · · Score: 1

      Drug use and abuse is a health issue, driven by the innate human quality that seeks to minimise discomfort felt through uncomfortable living. Driving a car is nothing of the sort - it is a chore undertaken by many people to get where they want to be, though thoroughly enjoyed by some people. If people take pleasure in a chore, does that chore now need protection from the same forces which got us this far in the first place? Or should technology keep marching on where it demonstrates it can, and instead of holding back progress for your hobby, you find a way to enjoy your hobby without endangering the lives of those who see it as a chore?

      If you are independent because you have a car, you are dependent on your car, and by definition not independent. If your car gives you self-reliance, you are reliant on your car, and by definition therefore not self-reliant.

    103. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by castionsosa · · Score: 1

      I would feel much safer with more self-driving cars on the road:

      1: Fewer drivers texting, drunk, drugged, stoned, putting on makeup, shaving, or all the above.
      2: If there -were- a crash, it would be well logged. No he said/she said BS.
      3: Computers react faster than I do. Thus, it would be stopping before I would have a foot on the stop pedal.
      4: Computers don't get road rage. This means I can find a gap to merge into a highway if driving, or the computer can merge in itself.
      5: Of course, there will be edge cases, but those would be far rarer than a case of too slow reactions, or some type of fumble. One fender bender at 2mph with tens to hundreds of millions of miles on the road is a lot better than any human can do. This means my self-driving car is safer on the roads, which is a benefit to other commuters.
      6: Self-driving vehicles actually will give the occupants the time spent commuting to do things that actually may benefit them, be it reading, jamming to a new album, or just catching a snooze before work.

    104. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm sure that's part of it, but I'm sure a lot of it is also people like me. People who hold engineering degrees and work as engineers as a living. And people like us, who are actually involved in the design of this stuff and know actual limits and don't fall for marketing BS like you apparently do.

    105. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, having control over your transport is a core component of suburban lifestyle. I think you'll find most humans in most cities do NOT own a car, globally it is way less than one car per household. That's cool that you like your car, but you're in the minority for owning one.

      Many of those people are too poor to own a car even if they wanted one.

    106. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      For a tech site Slashdot sure has its cluster of Luddites.

      It's no wonder they're being replaced by H1Bs. I bet most guys here still want to use punch cards as well.

      Where is it written that all tech has to be immediately embraced, no matter it's flaws? Also the clientele here tends to be of the rather independent sort.

    107. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Triklyn · · Score: 1

      you should read your link a bit more carefully

      "If roughly 80 percent of our population is urban, roughly 80 percent of our urban areas are actually small towns."

      urbanized area is 50,000. there's only a handful of actual cities in the US one can live as a pedestrian comfortably.

    108. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by b0bby · · Score: 1

      Yet owning an AK47 is. Don't you find that absurd?

      Actually, owning an AK47 is specifically not a right in many states. For instance, Maryland.

      I'll know because it'll cost more. Or do you think all cameras, radar, sonar, liability insurance etc is free?

      The liability insurance, at least, should be almost negligible, and far below the rates I'm currently paying. And in the case of a teenager, that could well end up easily reducing the TCO over the current state of affairs, given that insurance for a new driver is often in the $2k/year range. A few years of not paying that will cover a pretty good amount of fancy equipment.

       

    109. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Shortguy881 · · Score: 1

      That sentiment, like most AAA members, is outdated. The freedom of the road era has passed. Its alive and well in some (myself included), but for most young drivers, they would rather be chauffeured around in an autonomous car and play on their smart phone. Because of the organization involved, I'd say this poll is slightly skewed by age group.

      --
      Brilliance without wisdom, power without conscience. Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants.
    110. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Martin+Blank · · Score: 1

      Speaking as a fellow pilot (just a PPL, but still a pilot), our emergency scenarios tend to be a lot more extreme than those of cars. There's a reason that we take a lot of extra precautions and are in contact with someone who tracks our fellow vehicles, that we're required to have periodic health checks, and that we're required to periodically prove our competence: the penalties for failure in the real world are far higher.

      Your proposal would involve retesting 20 million people per year, about 75,000 people a day, six days a week. The costs associated with requiring additional practical exams for drivers would be substantial in terms of both government outlays (additional examiners, space, equipment if you go for simulators, maintenance for the simulators) and to drivers, many of whom would likely be impacted by the costs of the test, not to mention additional costs incurred and triggered by those contesting revocations would likely be significant. The return would likely be minimal.

      For those who are hit with citations for certain things, like reckless driving, or for any driving-related arrest, I can see requiring a new driving test within some short span, or even regular tests for some period of time. But on a general basis, I think it's a pretty severe overreach.

      --
      You can never go home again... but I guess you can shop there.
    111. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by b0bby · · Score: 1

      TFA says most people don't want them. I understand this is a nerd forum, and nerds love technology even when it makes no sense, but you have to accept that a lot of people probably don't care for automated cars*. .

      Let's see how the poll looks in a few years when some of these people may have actually even seen a self driving car. When they're stuck in traffic and look over to see the guy in the next car over watching a movie or working or napping, I'm willing to bet that a bunch of them will change their minds. Maybe you live somewhere where driving is still fun, but I live in the mid-Atlantic and most of the time, it's just a chore.

    112. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by operagost · · Score: 1
      See, you just compared what people want to ride in, to what else is on the road. Because it doesn't matter whether your vehicle is autonomous or not, there are still going to be nearsighted grannies and distracted teens on the road for quite some time.

      I don't care if it takes twice as long to get anywhere (30 MPH max), as long as I can turn my brain off and do something else I'm happy.

      Then take the bus.

      --

      Gamingmuseum.com: Give your 3D accelerator a rest.
    113. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by operagost · · Score: 1

      If ubiquitous cameras save lives, they should be required.

      If metadata capture saves lives, it should be required.

      If full body scans save lives, they should be required.

      At least with vaccines, by and large the intrusion to our lives is minimal and short term. But we'd have to live with self-driving cars every day.

      --

      Gamingmuseum.com: Give your 3D accelerator a rest.
    114. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by fluffernutter · · Score: 1

      A few years... lol. It will be a few years before they even try them out of the relatively mild climate of California, where most of the biggest traffic issues are going to surface.

      --
      Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
    115. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by ceoyoyo · · Score: 1

      Reaction time isn't just the 0.whatever seconds it takes you to react to a stimulus you're alert to. It's also the amount of time it takes you to notice the stimulus in the first place. IIRC the majority of collisions are caused by distracted drivers.

      You're right, reaction time isn't an issue if you're driving properly. But people don't drive properly, and that doesn't only cause reaction time to be important, but also impacts negatively on their reaction time.

    116. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Martin+Blank · · Score: 1

      Most of the cities around me in the Dallas suburbs have populations of 50,000 or more. Even Dallas itself is iffy on that count. Public transit is not a realistic option unless you're forced to use it. Where I lived before, in Orange County, CA, it was even worse. Bus service tends to be either infrequent or severely packed, even with articulated buses that run relatively frequently. There is little rail service to speak of other than links to Los Angeles and Riverside.

      I do enjoy using public transit when I can. Chicago, DC, NYC, and Newark were great for it, but they're definitely exceptions. Most cities, by the definition that you choose to use, require the ability to drive or to have access to a car to realistically get around.

      --
      You can never go home again... but I guess you can shop there.
    117. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by fluffernutter · · Score: 1

      There are also safety standards in free society. People are only allowed to accept so much risk, usually because the ones they risk the most are other people.

      --
      Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
    118. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Triklyn · · Score: 1

      oh god, i just imagined a new pastime.

      running by people unloading luggage at a train station or airport out of the trunk of a self-driving car, and yelling really load, "DRIVE HOME"

      or poking the "drive home" button with a stick, i don't know.

      oh yeah, the complaint about self driving cruise missiles.

    119. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by ceoyoyo · · Score: 1

      Ridden in an airplane lately?

    120. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by operagost · · Score: 1

      Maryland is wrong. Guns like the AK47 are military arms, and whether you think the second amendment describes a right of the people or not (the supreme court says it does) it describes a
      well-regulated militia, which requires military arms.

      Require a training course? Registration for military arms? Membership in a shooting club or militia? Arguably allowable. Ban the military arms we're supposed to keep and bear? Tyranny.

      --

      Gamingmuseum.com: Give your 3D accelerator a rest.
    121. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by fluffernutter · · Score: 1

      Would you take a vaccine if you had to pay $50,000 for it?

      --
      Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
    122. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Martin+Blank · · Score: 1

      Not in the two states that I've had licenses (California and Texas). They make it very clear that driving on public roads is a privilege. Texas Transportation Code Sec. 523 refers to "the privilege of driving a motor vehicle on the public highways" but does not refer to a right to drive anywhere.

      I don't think any state has a right to drive in the law, and courts have declined to find a right to drive that I've ever been able to find. (They've affirmed a right to travel, but that's not the same thing as a right to drive.)

      --
      You can never go home again... but I guess you can shop there.
    123. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by cayenne8 · · Score: 1

      You should travel more - many many people live happy fulfilling lives without ever driving a car.

      Not in the overwhelming majority of the US.....we pretty much ALL own 1 if not 2 or more cars.

      And we like having them.

      --
      Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
    124. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by b0bby · · Score: 1

      Maryland is wrong. Guns like the AK47 are military arms, and whether you think the second amendment describes a right of the people or not (the supreme court says it does) it describes a
      well-regulated militia, which requires military arms.

      Require a training course? Registration for military arms? Membership in a shooting club or militia? Arguably allowable. Ban the military arms we're supposed to keep and bear? Tyranny.

      I am not saying I agree, I was simply pointing out that the poster was incorrect in assuming that owning an AK47 is necessarily a right in the US. I think that the MD law is pointless, but it exists.

    125. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The car ownership rates are not what you think they are. There are 809 for every 1000 people (not even people of driving age) in the US. That excludes motorcycles.

      That also excludes actual analysis, all you have with that number, unsourced as it is, is the number of cars to people, not car ownership rates. Sure you could divide it, but that'd assume all cars are owned by single individuals.

      Which we know is wrong, if we're familiar with car ownership practices. But also your number of cars? Most likely it is including transit vehicles, service vehicles, and who knows what else? And it's hard to read the Wikipedia article, but I can't be sure it excludes motorcycles in its tally. They do add up that way.

      But your other big problem is distribution. You don't know how those vehicles are distributed in ownership levels, it only takes a few Jay Lenos to skew the numbers in a considerable fashion. Add in any number of commercial institutions and work vehicles, and well...

      I wouldn't trust your numbers.

      Come again?

      Hell, you probably don't even know what a city is. Seriously, you don't. The bit about more than half of the population living in urban areas? Yeah, that's because they changed the definition of urban for the 2010 census. All it takes is a town with 1500 people (or 2500 people if they have a residential institution) to be considered urban. It's not even a measure of density any more.

      'Tis okay, I'm sure you'll find further justifications.

      Whatever change you think occurred in 2010, the urbanization level hit over 50% in 1920 according to the Census. But no, it's called an urban cluster, however if you want an examination of population densities, you'll want to go elsewhere in the data. They do have it.

      Again, I won't be trusting your numbers. You're just not using enough rigor.

    126. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by operagost · · Score: 1

      Well, try to live in the average American town-- just a few thousand people, max-- and own a horse.

      See how free you are to stable the horse at your house.

      --

      Gamingmuseum.com: Give your 3D accelerator a rest.
    127. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by hey! · · Score: 1

      Being in the minority does not make one's position invalid.

      But it does take some of the shine off grandiose statements about core components of liberal society. It doesn't sound quite so convincing to say, "the thing I really like about the way things are now..." :)

      --
      Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
    128. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by cayenne8 · · Score: 1

      Guns like the AK47 are military arms

      How do yout figure it is a military weapon?

      I'm talking about the run of the mill "AK47" that the normal, average US citizen can legally purchase at a store, gun show or from a private individual.

      These are no different than any other semi-automatic weapon one can legally purchase. Unless you have special licensing you cannot legally sell or own any fully automatic weapon.

      So, aside from looking a bit more scary than any other semi-automatic rifle...how do you ascribe to them as being a military weapon? By caliber only?

      If that is the case, then what is the lowest caliber cartridge you'd say a citizen could fire that wouldn't be military?

      I mean hell..one of the most common hand gun calibers is the 9mm....the military uses that...so, should we ban that from ordinary citizens?

      Anyway...just curious why you single out the AK47 as a military weapon, when the versions you see in citizens' hands legally, is nothing more than a semi-automatic rifle. No different really than any other semi-automatic rifle one can buy....

      --
      Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
    129. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by TangoMargarine · · Score: 2

      6) Uber? How about your car earns you money ferrying people about while your sat at your desk at work.

      It'll be hilarious the first time somebody figures out how to hack the car to claim ownership.

      "Sir--Sir, please stop hotwiring me. I am calling the authorities."

      --
      Unity? Screw that: XFCE. Slashdot Beta? Screw that: SoylentNews. Australis? Screw that: Pale Moon. UX developers DIAF
    130. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by hey! · · Score: 2

      I think when we look back we'll see the near universal adoption of smartphones as a watershed event in the history of transportation. Yes, it's not all about what GP wants, but it's not all about what you think people ought to want, either.

      It's about what critical masses of people want, and what a lot of them seem to want is to spend as much time as possible with their noses glued to their mobile devices. This makes both autonomous cars and public transit a lot more desirable. My children are 17-20 years old, and their peers seem a lot less interested in getting a car and license than my generation was at that age, and I'd conjecture that's because they see driving not as independence, but as an interruption.

      Connected is the new desirable default state, everything else people do is an interruption. I personally think that's an unhealthy development; there are situations where our lives are enriched by mindfulness: eating, conversing, appreciating a piece of art. But driving, for the most part, isn't one of those things.

      --
      Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
    131. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 1

      Any of those accidents coud have been very spectacular, and all of them would have happened in an autonomous vehicle as well.

      Yes, but the car might well be better at mitigating (or even avoiding!) the accidents than you are. Remember, driving aids kick in before you even know there is a problem.

      I absolutely love driving aids. My little Jeep's traction control and ABS allows me to do amazing things on glare ice. Everything but ignore centripetal force.

      Lane assist is a tremendous thing. Its pretty obvious how many accidents that will eliminate.

      And I can hardly wait until anti tailgating radar is standard equipment, altoghether too many people have been riding my ass so badly that they owe me at least dinner and a movie.

      But the problem I see with what too many people are assuming the autonomous vehicles are going to be, which is they can kick back while the car delivers them to wherever they want to go, and not have any input is that there is so much more to it if you want that. The cars will have to talk to each other, and that means an entire wifi type system on the more crowded parts of the ride.

      The resulting infrastructure will make the initial experiments today the easy part.

      --
      The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
    132. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Horses can avoid obstacles and even find their way back to their home without input from a user, even if the user is drunk and passed out on the horse's back. Further, it's powered by green energy and does the energy processing internally (grass). The also are able to continue operating in case of EMP. Future options include a 12V Solar ass-charger (pun intended)

      The downside is limited top speed / endurance, and it may display attitude if aforementioned drunk user throws up on it. Do not taunt Happy Fun Horse.

    133. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by kheldan · · Score: 1

      Bridges puts human lives at stake. They typically just stand there without continuous supervision. Elevators put human lives at stake, but again there is no human supervisor. If you look around you you will realize that there are thousands of automated things in society that we trust our lives with. Everything from traffic lights to fire alarms. When you call 911 or 112 you rely on automation to send you phone call to the right destination.

      You moron.. Bridges don't move. Elevators go up and down a track and have this little feature called an 'emergency brake' in case the cable snaps. Calling 911 doesn't risk running you into a concrete abutment at 100mph. All the other class of things you mentioned DO NOT GO ANYWHERE WITH A HUMAN TRAPPED INSIDE. Stop making invalid, illogical arguments. You are dumb!

      --
      Are YOU using the TOOL, or is the TOOL using YOU? Think about it!
    134. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by kheldan · · Score: 1

      Tell you what, buddy: You name ALL the other current technologies that roam around free with a human trapped inside, who has NO control over what happens to them. I'll be happy to show you how completely wrong you are about all of them, assuming you come up with ANY.

      --
      Are YOU using the TOOL, or is the TOOL using YOU? Think about it!
    135. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by hawguy · · Score: 1

      You should travel more - many many people live happy fulfilling lives without ever driving a car.

      Not in the overwhelming majority of the US.....we pretty much ALL own 1 if not 2 or more cars.

      And we like having them.

      No one wants to take your car away, you can still have two self-driving cars.

    136. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 1

      How about the liberty of others to not be killed by some terribly-driving lunatic?

      What are those statistics?

      Its a little amusing, I chime in on autonomous driving, and I'm a luddite, screaming and yelling at those goddamned teenagers to get off my lawn, yet for EV's or alt energy, or AGW, I'm a pie in the sky progressive.

      And yet, I'm not against driving aids, I have a number of them on my vehicles. I welcome many more in the years to come.

      But it seems in here, anyone who dares to suggest that there might be one single flaw in the utopian dream of never piloting a car again is set upon like a wildabeest being eaten by crocodiles.

      If there are no problems, then why don't we already have it? And who will be more helpful, people who say "This is awesome - full speed ahead", or people who say, "We might have a problem here"?

      --
      The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
    137. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by hawguy · · Score: 1

      No one is disputing that America has a lot of cars, but I don't see how that relates to people moving to self-driving cars?

      TFA says most people don't want them. I understand this is a nerd forum, and nerds love technology even when it makes no sense, but you have to accept that a lot of people probably don't care for automated cars*.

      But you have to consider the source An organization that would mostly become obsolete with self-driving cars, and which has an aging membership base (median age of 54) said that only 25% of its members would trust a self driving car.

      Here's a different survey:

      http://www.cnbc.com/2014/07/29...

      According to a new study by comparison-shopping website Insurance.com, three-quarters of licensed U.S. motorists would be very likely to consider, if not buy, self-driving vehicles. If they were offered lower insurance rates, that figure jumps to 86 percent.

      Note: I do some some value in a robot car for some people (old, young, drunk etc), but there's a whole lot more where people actually want to drive themselves.

      So you want to make every driver blow a breathalyzer test every time they get into the car so the car knows if they are drunk?

    138. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't care if it takes twice as long to get anywhere (30 MPH max), as long as I can turn my brain off and do something else I'm happy.

      Yhea, me too! I wish I had 2 hrs per day to study, read and think about interesting stuff....oh wit I DO have it, because I use the train to commute...

    139. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by cayenne8 · · Score: 1

      No one wants to take your car away, you can still have two self-driving cars.

      Well, how about YOU have your self driving car, and I'll keep the ones I can control, and don't by necessity have to have tracking onboard.

      You can feel safe, and play your games while on the road, and I can enjoy my sports cars/motorcycles at the same time, and enjoy my freedom and privacy while getting to my destination, or just going out for a drive with no destination in mind for the fun of it....

      --
      Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
    140. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by youngatheart · · Score: 1

      In 2014, there were 32,675 people who were killed in fatal car accidents. That's 32,675 people who won't pay car insurance fees pay taxes or vote. Some estimates put one in seven cars on the road as uninsured.

      People don't care for taxes but people prefer them over jail. What car insurance companies like is premiums paid without having to pay out. There is already a legal trend to hold the manufacturer of a self driving car responsible for insurance, which means that it is likely to become more and more expensive to insure a human driver while it becomes cheaper and cheaper to be a passenger in a self driving car.

      People may not prefer it, but when the insurance bill is ten times what they've ever paid before in order to drive themselves, compared to being almost free to be a passenger, I expect many people will choose to ride.

      Ever ridden a packed subway? People aren't there because they want to be. They're there because it costs less than the alternatives and it works.

    141. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Grunschev · · Score: 1

      You could drive in racetracks or other closed courses where people are willing to be put in that kind of risk.

      Frankly, it's safer to drive on a track than on the roads.

      I drive my car on a race track 5 or 6 times a year. At the track, I know everybody is paying attention to what they're doing, everybody is going the same direction, people wave flags at me if anything unexpected has happened, if I make a mistake and go off the track there's nothing to run into, I know there is no debris I'll have to dodge, and every car has been inspected for safety.

    142. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by RavenLrD20k · · Score: 1

      Get 12 points for various infractions, you now no longer have the right to drive for 6 months and you must pass a re-certification exam. Driving is a privilege that can be legally taken away. Sure, you still have the skill to drive that you did before...but now if you're recognized as driving without a license, your car is towed and impounded, and you're walking home if you're lucky...or going to jail if you're not. Rights cannot be taken away like that. Rights are not granted nor enumerated, either. The ability to drive must first be proven, then the government grants you legal ability to operate the vehicle on public roadways, and the legal ability can legally be taken away if you show the government that you cannot obey the requirements for maintaining the legal ability. It is not a right.

    143. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by youngatheart · · Score: 2

      This, plus the fact that a lot of the people still driving seem to have turned their brains off as well.

      I'm a freakin amazingly good driver if you look at my record or ride with me, but I know how often I've nearly been in a wreck. I know how many times I've done something stupid. I always check my blind spot, but not always before putting my signal on and starting to drift toward the lane I'm moving into, and I can recall all too clearly seeing someone there I was drifting toward, not once but twice (twice!!) in the last year.

      A month ago, I was exhausted but drove anyway.

      I'm a courteous, thoughtful, attentive, law abiding driver who has a good record, great reflexes, good habits and a healthy sense of mortality. But I'm also self aware enough to say, please, please, please get even people who think they are great drivers off the road. People suck at paying attention 100% of the time. People suck always remembering to follow laws. People kill each other by accident all the time and that sucks.

    144. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by operagost · · Score: 1

      Well, a full-auto AK variant would be the actual military weapon, as the standard infantry rifle in 100% of militarys since the 1950s is a full-auto weapon. But I didn't want to complicate things by involving the unconstitutional ban on post-1986 automatic weapons.

      --

      Gamingmuseum.com: Give your 3D accelerator a rest.
    145. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by smooth+wombat · · Score: 1

      Drug use and abuse is a health issue, driven by the innate human quality that seeks to minimise discomfort felt through uncomfortable living.

      Thank you for making an excuse for why people use drugs because that's all we ever hear, an excuse.

      "My life sucks which is why I do drugs."

      Really? There's nothing else you can do to change your life except do drugs? That's nothing but an excuse.

      --
      We will bankrupt ourselves in the vain search for absolute security. -- Dwight D. Eisenhower
    146. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      wow....i will feed you...you are a good driver.

    147. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by cellocgw · · Score: 1

      How in the world did that get +5Insightful? It's a piece of pseudolibertarian bullshit.

      You might as well demand that all stoplights go green in your presence so as not to infringe on your personal driving liberties.

      --
      https://app.box.com/WitthoftResume Code: https://github.com/cellocgw
    148. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I happen to quite enjoy driving. That is when I can turn my brain off and listen to music. At work my brain is too occupied, so music becomes a distraction.

      The system can only be as good as its weakest link, which is the humans programming it.

      If a Google car can cause an accident because it can't anticipate other drivers' reactions, then it makes me wonder what myriad other situations programmers have not even considered.

      No, thanks. You'll never get me inside of one.

    149. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by stealth_finger · · Score: 1

      You can have your right to freedom removed for committing infractions in society. One could argue you still have the right to drive but they remove the privilege and ability. Actually I'd say in this case right and privilege are the same thing. At the end of the day driving is the privilege of using a specific tool (vehicle) to exercise your right of free movement. But whatever, what was the original point again?

      --
      Wanna buy a shirt?
      https://www.redbubble.com/people/stealthfinger/shop?asc=u
    150. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by dgatwood · · Score: 1

      Reaction time isn't just the 0.whatever seconds it takes you to react to a stimulus you're alert to. It's also the amount of time it takes you to notice the stimulus in the first place. IIRC the majority of collisions are caused by distracted drivers.

      More than that, you can only react to problems that you can actually see. A self-driving car can be continuously checking traffic data, reacting to problems before it can optically see them so that you don't have to slam on the brakes to avoid piling into a bunch of stopped cars just around the corner.

      You're right, reaction time isn't an issue if you're driving properly. But people don't drive properly, and that doesn't only cause reaction time to be important, but also impacts negatively on their reaction time.

      Actually, I'd argue that this is only partially true. People are driving properly for the number of cars on the road and the size of the road. They just aren't compensating sufficiently for humans' relatively poor reaction time and inability to see five cars ahead of them. A self-driving car with a camera pod up on top can see over other vehicles, spot problems farther ahead, and react more quickly. So a self-driving car can safely drive in bumper-to-bumper traffic at 70 MPH whereas a human driver could never do so safely.

      That's another reason why self-driving cars are so badly needed. It isn't just that human failings (inattentiveness in particular) cause wrecks, but also that human vision limitations and limited multitasking capabilities make roads much less efficient.

      --

      Check out my sci-fi/humor trilogy at PatriotsBooks.

    151. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      My uncle has a country place
      That no one knows about
      He says it used to be a farm
      Before the Motor Law

      And on Sundays I elude the Eyes
      And hop the Turbine Freight
      To far outside the Wire
      Where my white-haired uncle waits

      Jump to the ground
      As the turbo slows to cross the borderline
      Run like the wind
      As excitement shivers up and down my spine

      Down in his barn
      My uncle preserved for me an old machine
      For fifty-odd years
      To keep it as new has been his dearest dream

      I strip away the old debris
      That hides a shining car
      A brilliant red Barchetta
      From a better vanished time

      I fire up the willing engine
      Responding with a roar
      Tires spitting gravel
      I commit my weekly crime

      Wind in my hair
      Shifting and drifting

      Mechanical music
      Adrenaline surge

      Well-weathered leather
      Hot metal and oil
      The scented country air
      Sunlight on chrome
      The blur of the landscape
      Every nerve aware

      Suddenly ahead of me
      Across the mountainside
      A gleaming alloy air-car
      Shoots towards me, two lanes wide

      I spin around with shrieking tires
      To run the deadly race
      Go screaming through the valley
      As another joins the chase

      Drive like the wind
      Straining the limits of machine and man
      Laughing out loud with fear and hope
      I've got a desperate plan

      At the one-lane bridge
      I leave the giants stranded at the riverside
      Race back to the farm
      To dream with my uncle at the fireside

      'nuff said.

    152. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by dgatwood · · Score: 1

      Worse, by driving a slower speed, they cause an increase in wrecks around them. Big differences in speed between the slowest and fastest traffic are a major contributing factor to accidents because of how many people end up passing them (often aggressively) and how much road rage happens in the resulting backup. So although they might personally be safer, they cause a net decrease in overall road safety once you factor in the other vehicles on the road.

      --

      Check out my sci-fi/humor trilogy at PatriotsBooks.

    153. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Rakarra · · Score: 1

      Yet owning an AK47 is. Don't you find that absurd?

      Firearms ownership is protected in the Constitution. Thus, it has a higher protection priority than passenger vehicles.

    154. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by TWX · · Score: 1

      1. Response time is only a small part of the equation. 2. It's not all about what YOU want.

      It's a matter of public health - if self driving cars will save lives, they should be required. Just like vaccines. Of course, there will be the anti-robot-cars movement, but they'll have to stay on private property with their old fashioned manually driving cars -- with steering wheels if you can imagine such a thing! How quaint!

      No human-driven car that was legally licensed to be used on the road will ever be forced to not be used on the road.

      I know someone with a 1911 EMF. It's still licensed to drive. It has no seatbelts, no turn signals, no cornering lamps, no highway headlights, it's basically as close as one can get to a horseless-carriage after the true automobile as invented. Despite these deficiencies by modern standards, so long as it meets the standards that were required of-it when it was made it will be allowed on the road.

      Governments in this country do not force noncommercial vehicles out-of-service so long as they meet the requirements as-set when they were made. To do otherwise would hurt those that can least-afford new vehicles, and would face an additional barrier in the automotive enthusiast. Auto enthusiasts have been very succesful in actually pushing the other direction, they've gotten emissions and safety laws loosened over the years, especially on older vehicles.

      If you attempt to push an agenda against human-driven cars you will probably find that a large portion of the 75% referenced in the article pushing back, and those overwhelming numbers will set your cause back by decades. You're better off just waiting-out until there simply aren't very many human-driven cars on the roads anymore, just like there aren't very many 1911 EMFs on the road anymore either.

      --
      Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
    155. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Rakarra · · Score: 1

      If Bambi walks onto the highway, will the car decide to sacrifice you and hit it full speed, in odrer to not have apileup behind you?

      That shouldn't be a pileup unless people are tailgating behind you. The definition of tailgating is that you're driving too close to avoid a collision if the car in front slams on the brakes. So yeah, the majority of people on the highways tailgate, but will that still be the case when everyone drives a self-driving car?

      These freeway pileups occur because people are making the choice to drive unsafely.

    156. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      .... and whether you think the second amendment describes a right of the people or not (the supreme court says it does) it describes a well-regulated militia, which requires military arms.

      The second amendment, please notice, says "well-regulated militia" -
      (1) WELL-REGULATED
      (2) The "militia" would now be called the National Guard. Too bad they didn't have the term "National Guard" at the time.

      Oh, and for those nutcases out there thinking that the point of the second amendment was to allow people to defend themselves AGAINST the government, read Sections 1 & 2 of the Militia Act of 1792 - passed about 4 1/2 months after the 2nd amendment

    157. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Rakarra · · Score: 1

      For a tech site Slashdot sure has its cluster of Luddites.

      It's no wonder they're being replaced by H1Bs. I bet most guys here still want to use punch cards as well.

      Probably because Slashdotters have to deal with, write, and debug software all day. Really shitty, buggy software.
      We see really horrible, 'how have they not fixed this yet?' bugs every day with major software packages. Major vendors, major flaws, major crashes. Computers and computer software don't "just work," they simply work 'just enough.' I just got a new car, and the flaws and bugs with the navigation system alone are annoying as hell. Do you think I would trust my life to the same group of people who approved that?

      All of these pie-in-the-sky, "the future is magical, accidents will end!" promises are all premised on one thing -- that the software works, and that it works flawlessly. And yes, it has to be flawless. When someone gets into an accident with a manual car, it's the fault of at least one of the people in the accident, and the buck stops with them. When a self-driving car gets into an accident, now the deep-pocket car company is liable for deaths. Get used to enormous lawsuits, and people feeling -less- safe in their cars, because they no longer have control. People hate not having control in dangerous systems.

      So yeah, we don't believe in the rosy scenario that these self-driving cars will actually work well enough to eliminate accidents. Those are the promises, and we see those promises broken with every other software vendor on a daily basis. This familiarity only breeds contempt, so yeah, on this issue lots of Slashdotters will come off as Luddites. They have reasons not to trust software vendors with their lives.

    158. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by TsuruchiBrian · · Score: 1

      Depending on how you define "the elderly" I think just about anybody (teenagers included) would be safer drivers by comparison.

      Also, even if reaction time isn't so important in terms of preventing the sort of accidents that humans can typically prevent through vigilance. There are many accidents that are not preventable by humans, like getting t-boned in an intersection, or a car swerving into oncoming traffic. In these scenarios, having millisecond or microsecond reaction times can drastically reduce the deadliness of an accident or prevent it altogether. Also, even the best drivers have lapses in their vigilance. Computers don't panic, or get tired or distracted.

      There is a reason why we have computers guiding spaceships and missiles.

    159. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Rakarra · · Score: 1

      I don't see why the cars would have to talk to each other. After all, a safe driving system wouldn't trust anything it received from another car. It wouldn't treat a car as different from some other unpredictable object, like a rock falling into the road, or the only-sometimes wifi-enabled deer.

      Worse, a wifi system would be yet another attack vector that will be easily exploited, just like everything else is in our connected world. I don't see how any benefits would come from it.

    160. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      " Where human lives are at stake you must have a human being as the final unimpeachable failsafe system..."

      Show me where it says that.

    161. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by MooseTick · · Score: 1

      "Just because you would be happy with 35Mph doesn't mean the rest of us should slow down and lose liberty because you want to be lazy."

      You have already lost "liberty" by being restricted to speed limits on every public road in the USA.

      "I have strong doubts about these ever being safer. Maybe if/when quantum computing really takes off and sensor tech is better than it is now..."

      Do you really think it will take a quantum computer to be able to have better vision, a wider field of vision, better reflexes, automatic communication with nearby vehicles, etc.?

    162. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Creepy · · Score: 1

      A well regulated militia does not specifically mean you have to have the weapons in your home. You could require storing them in an armory and also require regular training with them as part of your militia duty.

      The whole militia clause is kind of a joke, anyway. After the militia failed in the war of 1812, the US has always had a standing army, even though the Constitution says a professional army could only be created for 2 years (article 1, section 8, clause 12 if you want to look it up). The entire point of that clause was to NOT have a professional army so the country could avoid problems caused by them in other countries.

      The Anti-Federalist sentiment at the time can be summed up by this: "standing army in times of peace, one of the most hurtful, and most dangerous of abuses." - James Burgh, Political Disquisitions,1774.

    163. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by sudon't · · Score: 1

      I'm with you, man. I'll be in the back seat reading a book, or dozing off. Wake me up when we get there, car!

      --
      -- sudon't

      Air-ride Equipped

    164. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Rakarra · · Score: 1

      Bridges puts human lives at stake. They typically just stand there without continuous supervision.

      Civil Engineering is far more of a mature discipline than "software engineering" is. I might like an individual programmer, but yes, I trust bridge builders far more than I do the software companies.

    165. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Rakarra · · Score: 1

      Less prone to a spontaneous crash from an errant cosmic ray flipping a bit.

      Humans absolutely crash when faced with, say, an errant heart attack. Or stroke. Or seizure. Or fainting spell from the heat, tiredness, stress, or other medical condition.

      I've heard of the cosmic ray thing before, but have never heard of it as being more than an urban legend, or someone's excuse of "I don't know why the data was bad. Must have been a cosmic ray thing." Have any studies been conducted to show how often that situation actually does occur? And does it occur more often than human medical emergencies?

    166. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by MooseTick · · Score: 1

      "it describes a well-regulated militia, which requires military arms."

      So do you think anyone should be able to own grenades, C4, RPGs, and any other types of arms used by the military?

    167. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Dcnjoe60 · · Score: 1

      They wouldn't feel safe in a mechanical beast.

      Lets see, a computer with a sample rate of 1000 Hz always on, always watching 360 degrees or Grandma that hasn't had to renew her license since she started losing vision or a teenager trying to take a selfie.

      I don't care if it takes twice as long to get anywhere (30 MPH max), as long as I can turn my brain off and do something else I'm happy.

      For many, the appeal in a car is being in control of a (relatively) high horse powered machine. You lose that with autonomous vehicles. If you don't care if it takes twice as long to get anywhere as long as you can turn off your brain and do something else, you don't need to wait for autonomous vehicles. Call a cab or uber.

    168. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by MooseTick · · Score: 1

      "the unconstitutional ban on post-1986 automatic weapons"

      Wasn't that passed by Congress, signed by the president and offered up for debate to the Supreme Court which opted not to hear the case?

    169. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by MooseTick · · Score: 1

      "tell a judge that takes away your license for DUI that he's violating your constitutional right to drive"

      You still have a right to drive, just not on public roadways. Buy yourself 100 acres and you can drive around it all day long.

    170. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Dcnjoe60 · · Score: 1

      1. Response time is only a small part of the equation.
      2. It's not all about what YOU want.

      It's a matter of public health - if self driving cars will save lives, they should be required. Just like vaccines. Of course, there will be the anti-robot-cars movement, but they'll have to stay on private property with their old fashioned manually driving cars -- with steering wheels if you can imagine such a thing! How quaint!

      The purpose of vaccines is to limit the spread of disease. Most vaccinations are for agents that aren't necessarily life threatening to the general population but they are often life altering. As such, while vaccinations are a matter of public health, they only work when enough of the population is vaccinated. Autonomous vehicles will reduce certain kinds of accidents, but even if they save some lives there is a huge difference between the number killed in auto accidents say, polio. In addition, for autonomous vehicles to be effective at saving lives, they need to reach critical mass in utilization by the public. At current projected pricing, even with government/taxpayer subsidies, that is unlikely to happen for a very long time.

      There is no doubt that some people will be able to afford and by autonomous vehicles. But, the real ROI for those developing them is not the individual market but for fleet and commercial use. There, the use is not about public health, but in reducing the cost of labor. Think of trucks, taxis, shuttles, etc.

      For those developing autonomous vehicles, the motivation is not about safety or saving lives. It is about maximizing shareholder value. If AVs don't do that, they won't be produced, plain and simple.

    171. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by MooseTick · · Score: 1

      "and I can enjoy my sports cars/motorcycles"

      I'm sure you'll still be able to do that. Insurance may be $5000 a month though if you insist on controlling that 2 ton missile with your pathetic human reflexes.

    172. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by MooseTick · · Score: 1

      You also don't have the right to drive anything anywhere. Vehicles must meet certain standards today, and those standards change over time. Think of seatbelts.

    173. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Dcnjoe60 · · Score: 1

      Your individual freedom ends just before my bumper, so if self-driving cars result in a significant decrease in accidents, I have little sympathy for your desire to be able to T-bone my car in an intersection and kill my family when you missed the stop sign because you sneezed.

      Do you take the same approach with your neighbors? Do they use gas powered lawn mowers or trimmers? The emission from those is a significant health hazard. How about barbecue grills or burning trash? House fires are much more prevalent in neighborhoods that allow open burning. Let's not forget that the neighbor that has trees in his yard is also a hazard to you because in a storm or high wind, that tree can come crashing through your roof.

      Now, if you are really concerned about protecting your family, don't live in a major city, where accident rates are significantly higher. Of course, that is your personal choice, but then that isn't about the other person's liberty or choice having a negative impact on your life, but instead it is directly related to your choice.

    174. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by cayenne8 · · Score: 1

      So...we're wanting to get rid of motorcycles, scooters and other forms of motorized transport controlled by humans?

      --
      Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
    175. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by dgatwood · · Score: 1

      Lots of subway systems, Disney's monorail, etc. come pretty close. The only manual control is an emergency stop. All the steering (track changes), speed, etc. is fully automated and outside the driver's control, AFAIK. And in many cases, there's no driver.

      --

      Check out my sci-fi/humor trilogy at PatriotsBooks.

    176. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by dgatwood · · Score: 1

      There are a number of ways of doing that, ranging from simply storing every variable twice in two different memory locations to having two identical computers that must agree with each other.

      The first one won't help if the bit flip causes the program code to become corrupt, or causes the value in a register to get modified and written to both locations. The only real redundancy is complete redundancy, which means at least two identical computers, and ideally, three, with a voting algorithm where the two that agree overrule the one that doesn't, and a "check computer" light popping on when that happens.

      --

      Check out my sci-fi/humor trilogy at PatriotsBooks.

    177. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by TsuruchiBrian · · Score: 1

      Humans don't have good reaction time, so they develop all these strategies to mitigate negative consequences of having bad reaction time (like keeping very large spaces between cars, driving slow, etc), but if you can have split second reaction times, it opens up the possibility of having cars be closer together and driving faster, which would be a huge benefit in terms of getting a giant city full of people where they need to go more quickly.

    178. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So a self-driving car can safely drive in bumper-to-bumper traffic at 70 MPH whereas a human driver could never do so safely.

      In Massachusetts, we call that a "daily commute." No self-driving cars needed. Accidents, while fairly common, also tend to be relatively minor (Massachusetts drivers are notoriously hard to kill). In reality, the need to inject randomness into the system (to prevent catastrophic cascade failures) would negate any efficiency improvements. Humans, even stupid ones, are already capable of achieving a sufficient level of throughput safely when operating cooperatively.

      It's the uncooperative humans who prevent the system from supporting an optimal level of throughput - drivers who refuse to yield to faster traffic, drivers who change lanes recklessly trying to go faster than the flow of traffic, road ragers who like to engage in the occasional ADW on the drive into work, drivers who already think they have a self-driving car and focus on anything but the road, etc. Get rid of those and you'll greatly improve both safety and throughput. Unfortunately, those are the drivers who are least likely to willingly let the car drive for them. That means that improvements in this area won't be seen until self-drive is a requirement for operating on highways (with speed limits set appropriately instead of the way they are now).

    179. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by kheldan · · Score: 1

      As I predicted, your responses are all systems that operate within a very much mechanically-limited scope, not anything like a free-ranging over-the-road vehicle that can literally go anywhere, including over a cliff, off a bridge, into a crowd of people, or into an immovable object (like a concrete abutment, or the side of a building) at fatal speeds; the rail systems of which you speak are not even 'autonomous', they have very simple control systems that are located both on and off the vehicle itself, with numerous failsafes built in -- the final one of which, I very much wish to point out, is a human element, since all rail systems are ultimately monitored by a human being, somewhere, who also has the ability to bring it to a complete stop. Not even close to the same thing as a so-called 'autonmous car'.

      --
      Are YOU using the TOOL, or is the TOOL using YOU? Think about it!
    180. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      and everyone flies their own planes too, right?

    181. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by hawguy · · Score: 1

      Your individual freedom ends just before my bumper, so if self-driving cars result in a significant decrease in accidents, I have little sympathy for your desire to be able to T-bone my car in an intersection and kill my family when you missed the stop sign because you sneezed.

      Do you take the same approach with your neighbors? Do they use gas powered lawn mowers or trimmers? The emission from those is a significant health hazard. How about barbecue grills or burning trash? House fires are much more prevalent in neighborhoods that allow open burning. Let's not forget that the neighbor that has trees in his yard is also a hazard to you because in a storm or high wind, that tree can come crashing through your roof.

      Now, if you are really concerned about protecting your family, don't live in a major city, where accident rates are significantly higher. Of course, that is your personal choice, but then that isn't about the other person's liberty or choice having a negative impact on your life, but instead it is directly related to your choice.

      If they are running their gas powered leaf blower in my living room, or driving their lawn tractor through the side of my house, yeah, I'd take the same approach - use it if you want to, but keep it out of my property and don't put my life at risk.

      Open burn is not allowed where I live, and any burning at all is restricted across the state based on weather conditions. Yet people keep moving here faster than housing can be built to accomodate them.

      don't live in a major city, where accident rates are significantly higher

      I don't believe that's true, auto fatalities are split pretty evenly between rural/urban, but more people live in urban areas, so the rate is actually lower in urban areas.

      http://www.iihs.org/iihs/topic...

      “urbanized areas” of 50,000 or more people ... For the 2010 count, the Census Bureau has defined 486 urbanized areas, accounting for 71.2 percent of the U.S. population.
      http://www.citylab.com/housing... [citylab.com]

      But you're missing the entire point of self driving cars -- to reduce the accident rate *everywhere*

    182. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by hawguy · · Score: 1

      You can have your right to freedom removed for committing infractions in society. One could argue you still have the right to drive but they remove the privilege and ability. Actually I'd say in this case right and privilege are the same thing. At the end of the day driving is the privilege of using a specific tool (vehicle) to exercise your right of free movement. But whatever, what was the original point again?

      Is it still a right if you can't exercise it? What good is the right to free speech if you can only speak freely in private?

    183. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by hawguy · · Score: 1

      oh god, i just imagined a new pastime.

      running by people unloading luggage at a train station or airport out of the trunk of a self-driving car, and yelling really load, "DRIVE HOME"

      or poking the "drive home" button with a stick, i don't know.

      oh yeah, the complaint about self driving cruise missiles.

      You could have lots of fun now by reaching into their windows and slipping the car into "Drive".

      Though I suspect that when the self driving car gets more than 30 feet from the electronic key I keep in my pocket, it'll pull over and stop until I use the key to tell it what to do.

    184. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by gnasher719 · · Score: 1

      running by people unloading luggage at a train station or airport out of the trunk of a self-driving car, and yelling really load, "DRIVE HOME"

      ... which would be covered by exactly the same laws as car theft, with the difference that the car wouldn't take your instructions unless it has your ugly mug on camera, and your voice recorded, so being caught and convicted is just about unavoidable.

    185. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Jack+Griffin · · Score: 1

      The liability insurance, at least, should be almost negligible, and far below the rates I'm currently paying.

      Should be, but won't be. Why not? Because when a human goes wrong, it affects 1 or 2 other humans. When software goes wrong, it could affect thousands.
      The risk profile to the manufacturer is far greater since punitive damages are often calculated on the value of the company (ie a negligence suit against Google could see a payout in the 9 figure range)

    186. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Jack+Griffin · · Score: 1

      When they're stuck in traffic and look over to see the guy in the next car over watching a movie or working or napping

      People do that already :)

      Maybe you live somewhere where driving is still fun, but I live in the mid-Atlantic and most of the time, it's just a chore.

      Where I live we have dedicated bus lanes. So a 15km commute in a car takes an hour, whereas the bus takes 30 minutes. No amount of robotics will improve the car's situation.

    187. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      Why argue with someone operating on bad assumptions.

      If self driving cars ever get to the point they are safer, MooseTick will have an argument. Until then, he's just sold on an idea.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    188. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Jack+Griffin · · Score: 1

      But you have to consider the source An organization that would mostly become obsolete with self-driving cars

      Now you are saying a complex robot car will never break down or need roadside assistance. Or are Google doing that too now?

    189. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Jack+Griffin · · Score: 1

      Ever ridden a packed subway? People aren't there because they want to be. They're there because it costs less than the alternatives and it works.

      I take public transport because it's the quickest way to get around. Unless this robot car comes with wings, it will still suffer the biggest issue facing every other car in a major city.

    190. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      Won't be nearly as fun as tossing a child's ball onto a high speed road and watching all the autocars go into 'emergency, test the tires braking'.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    191. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      As soon as the economy picked up, young drivers started buying cars.

      Your stats are a few years out of date.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    192. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      Accidents/year or accidents/mile driven.

      IIRC old folks fall flat on their faces when considering the second. Still, the best drivers aren't 16.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    193. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      Do you know ANYTHING about computer vision? Anything at all?

      You realize Googles cars have a 50k$ LIDAR system?

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    194. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Jack+Griffin · · Score: 1

      I'm aware of that. But don't you find it absurd that this is the case?
      Perhaps if the car had been invented in the 18th century it too would be in the Constitution? After all, what use is a well armed militia with no mechanised transport?

    195. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      Sad thing is: 200mph is the most accurate of his predictions.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    196. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 1

      If Bambi walks onto the highway, will the car decide to sacrifice you and hit it full speed, in odrer to not have apileup behind you?

      That shouldn't be a pileup unless people are tailgating behind you. The definition of tailgating is that you're driving too close to avoid a collision if the car in front slams on the brakes. So yeah, the majority of people on the highways tailgate, but will that still be the case when everyone drives a self-driving car?

      These freeway pileups occur because people are making the choice to drive unsafely.

      From what I've been told, autonomous cars will be able to drive at a minimum stopping distance, and given that the computers are much faster than humans ad adapting, the old rule of thumb of one car length for every ten miles per hour will be able to be reduced significantly.

      --
      The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
    197. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 1

      I don't see why the cars would have to talk to each other. After all, a safe driving system wouldn't trust anything it received from another car.

      Let's assume you have a thousand cars on a section of freeway. 4 lanes of traffic. Now the cars are optimized for speed and following distance. You are in the left lane. It's rush hour and the highway is pretty busy. now you need to get to the exit. Just as turn signals allow us to let other drivers know we want to get over, autonomous automobiles will need to do the same. so they'll need to communicate, in like manner to us. The same with merging and other lane changes. We don't see much of that now, because the autonomous vehicles react to what meatbag drivers are doing, and I have a deep suspicion it will be different when there are only autonomous vehicles on the road.

      And yes, it is a personal security and safety issue.

      In addition - and this is an aside - I wonder how many people will have the patience to allow the cars to adjust to the traffic. Humans are by nature competitive, and since I've found that driving near the speed limit is a lot less stressful, I've also found that I'm the slowest sonuvabitch on the highway. I'm going mayb 70, and being passed by a lot of people at 90+ mph. Often in vehicles that have no business going that fast. But it has allowed me to observe that the peopel going way fast have a completely different impressino of how crowded the highways are. They think - and I am guessing alittle about th details - they highway is really crowded with idiots. Because they travel in a big clot of cars down the highway.

      And here I am doing 70, and I see a clot of cars coming, kockeying with each other, messing with each other. THen thy pass me, and I have a big stretch of highway to myself. Until the next clot arrives, and also passes me. Rinse and repeat all day long. A possible good aspect of autonomous vehicles would be to smooth that stuff out.

      I'm just not certain how small towns are going to pad their coffers - a different matter entirely, but nonetheless important to the small towns.

      --
      The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
    198. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      But the problem I see with what too many people are assuming the autonomous vehicles are going to be, which is they can kick back while the car delivers them to wherever they want to go, and not have any input is that there is so much more to it if you want that. The cars will have to talk to each other, and that means an entire wifi type system on the more crowded parts of the ride.

      Well, for one thing, V2V is coming whether you want it or not. The major manufacturers and OEMs are well aware of the problems and are already working on it, and have been for years. For another thing, the vehicles are already going to have to be able to account for human drivers, so they already have to be acquainted with the idea of leaving a safety buffer and so on. The thing is that they're going to do a better job of that than human drivers, because they don't have blind spots. They're going to know when a vehicle is in the adjacent lane, and they're going to move up or back a bit so that they don't keep the car there so that if either your car wants to swerve, or the other car swerves, there is not a collision.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    199. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by RockDoctor · · Score: 1

      Your proposal would involve retesting 20 million people per year, about 75,000 people a day, six days a week.

      I don't see this as being a problem. I doubt that companies in the "driver training" business would see it as a problem either. Nor, for that matter, companies in the "self-driving vehicle" business.

      Sure, it's an issue for people who think that they have a "right" to have a driving license. But they're going to object to anything that re-focusses the responsibility of safe driving onto the user (e.g., it's your fault for not checking your tyres when you stop for fuel, and instead relying on "they should be able to take my level of usage.")

      A tonne of ironmongery travelling down the road is a dangerous thing, and people with responsibility for such machines are responsible for their condition and for their control of the moving masses.

      --
      Birds are not dinosaur descendants;birds are dinosaurs, for all useful meanings of "birds", "are" and "dinosaurs"
    200. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by hawguy · · Score: 1

      But you have to consider the source An organization that would mostly become obsolete with self-driving cars

      Now you are saying a complex robot car will never break down or need roadside assistance. Or are Google doing that too now?

      Well, maybe not Google, but the car manufacturer... just as most manufacturers provide complementary roadside service under warranty. They'll probably know before you do that the car is in trouble, so they may even have a replacement car in-route.

      And if you buy into the whole shared-car mentality, all you need is that replacement car, you can just leave the broken down car on the side of the road and someone can pick it up later.Even if it breaks down in a traffic lane, no one will run into it because every car will automatically receive traffic updates that warn it about traffic hazards like that.

    201. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 1

      Well, for one thing, V2V is coming whether you want it or not.

      If my car can tell the person behind me to get the hell off my ass - in the most polite way, I am all for that.

      I'm still very interested in scaling upward to real world traffic.

      The major manufacturers and OEMs are well aware of the problems and are already working on it, and have been for years. For another thing, the vehicles are already going to have to be able to account for human drivers, so they already have to be acquainted with the idea of leaving a safety buffer and so on. The thing is that they're going to do a better job of that than human drivers, because they don't have blind spots. They're going to know when a vehicle is in the adjacent lane, and they're going to move up or back a bit so that they don't keep the car there so that if either your car wants to swerve, or the other car swerves, there is not a collision.

      Cool. Seriously, I'm not against any or all of the aids in the world to help the driver. I want vehicles to stay centered in the lane, I want that jackass who is using my bumper as a target while he texts incredibly important things to someone to have his car back off. I like self parking cars, a whole lot of good things going on in teh world of helpers.

      I'm just not into the idea of this: http://www.newstimes.com/local...

      An alerter to prove I'm not bored off my ass and asleep. so my supposedly fully autonomous car doesn't pull off the road. It's not a defense of driving while asleep, but that remaining vigilant while doing nothing sorta sucks. I'll maybe support autonomous cars when it's legal to be intoxicated while travelling in one. Or pull the curtains and become a member of the 75 mph club.

      Or a completely blind person can "drive" one.

      --
      The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
    202. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by dgatwood · · Score: 1

      As I predicted, your responses are all systems that operate within a very much mechanically-limited scope, not anything like a free-ranging over-the-road vehicle that can literally go anywhere, including over a cliff, off a bridge, into a crowd of people, or into an immovable object (like a concrete abutment, or the side of a building) at fatal speeds;

      By such a strict standard, there's nothing in the world that could possibly qualify other than an autonomous car, except possibly an autonomous boat or airplane. Other than that, every other means of passenger conveyance has some sort of mechanical limitation to its scope.

      But all of those things I listed have many of the same problems that autonomous cars do (people jumping out in front of trains, starting and stopping in the right places, obeying speed limits set based on the safety of specific stretches, determining when it is safe to start driving (e.g. ensuring that everyone is either in the vehicle or out of it, etc.), and none of them necessarily have operators inside the vehicles to ensure their safety.

      ... the final one of which, I very much wish to point out, is a human element, since all rail systems are ultimately monitored by a human being, somewhere, who also has the ability to bring it to a complete stop. Not even close to the same thing as a so-called 'autonomous car'.

      You're assuming that an autonomous car won't have a way for the passengers to bring the vehicle to a complete stop? That seems pretty unlikely. Even if humans are unable to drive the vehicles in manual mode, I'd expect them to always have a failsafe system that, upon holding down the power button, cuts off power to the motor(s) and engages the brakes while the computer continues to steer. Assuming, of course, that there's a human in the vehicle to do so.

      --

      Check out my sci-fi/humor trilogy at PatriotsBooks.

    203. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      75% of drivers trust them self more than a robot, but i doubt they trust everyone else and grandma more than a robot. its like how any one traveling faster than you is reckless and any one driving slower than you is a retard.

    204. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Jack+Griffin · · Score: 1

      Well, maybe not Google, but the car manufacturer... just as most manufacturers provide complementary roadside service under warranty.

      And you know who they use for that service? The AAA guy just puts on a different shirt.

      They'll probably know before you do that the car is in trouble, so they may even have a replacement car in-route.

      For Free?

      And if you buy into the whole shared-car mentality, all you need is that replacement car, you can just leave the broken down car on the side of the road and someone can pick it up later.

      For Free?

      Even if it breaks down in a traffic lane, no one will run into it because every car will automatically receive traffic updates that warn it about traffic hazards like that.

      Hang on. We're a LONG way from one robot car that works to every single vehicle being a robot cars. And it doesn't take into account vandalism either.
      And since we've established that more than zero people don't want a robot car, this scenario is pure fantasy.

    205. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by im_thatoneguy · · Score: 1

      I'm really getting sick of all you cowards trying to reduce our liberties in the name of safety. Further, I've seen you quote Jefferson's quote about liberty and safety. I imagine you'll be unable or unwilling to admit the irony. It's okay, I'm used to it.

      Lol you think that driving is an innate right. Sorry pal, it aint.

      The roads are a public utility. If there is a way to use them that accomplishes the current goal: travel from A to B in a superior fashion then we will do that. It has nothing to do with "liberty". We don't have the "liberty" to drive a 23 foot wide monster truck and take up two lanes down the highway. We don't have the liberty to have flame throwers on the backs of our cars. We don't have liberty to put pikes on our hoods to skewer pedestrians. We forbid those things because while rad, the public risk outweighs the Metal badassery of driving around with 6 foot flames coming out of your trunk. If you're blind you don't have liberty to use the roads at all. If you've had a seizure in the last 6 months you don't have the liberty to drive. If you're 15 years old you don't have the liberty to operate a motor vehicle.

      You weren't given an inalienable right by the gods to manually guide a 2 ton metal machine at 80mph inches away from other people doing the same. We do it because we decided that the benefit was greater than the drawbacks of not doing it. It's pretty cut and dry. If we decide that the pros and cons of autonomous vehicles outweigh the pros and cons of driven vehicles we'll inevitable decide that nobody is allowed to drive anymore. And since autonomous driving is improving exponentially every year while human drivers have been stagnant for decades that time is coming pretty soon.

    206. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by im_thatoneguy · · Score: 1

      So we should all be allowed to fly a commercial airliner? Maybe include commercial multi-engine pilots licenses in K-12 education? If it's a core part of our liberty to be able to travel under our own driving/piloting skills then it's outrageous that we rely on commercial aviation!

    207. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by kheldan · · Score: 1

      By such a strict standard, there's nothing in the world that could possibly qualify other than an autonomous car

      Exactly my point, actually. Everyone is so used to not having to think about how an elevator works, and all the features of the design that has evolved over decades and decades that make it work and keep people safe, and with trains, and how much skill a pilot of an airliner has to have even with automation to help -- they all, like you, are taking it for granted; you all automatically assume that an 'autonomous car' is going to be absolutely flawless 100% of the time as soon as you can buy one. Most of you have never designed any sort of system, so you never have had to think about what can go wrong, but then you scoff at people like me, call me a doom-sayer and nay-sayer and luddite, because I can and do understand what can go wrong with a system, and dare to point out that safety is more important than conveniece; human lives matter, and ironically, you'll have to have a human being capable and qualified to take control of such a machine at any time, to protect human lives!

      You're assuming that an autonomous car won't have a way for the passengers to bring the vehicle to a complete stop?

      LOL no, but there has to be more than a big red 'STOP' button! What if just stopping means the truck behind you plows into you and you DIE? Or ten people behind you DIE because you suddenly stopped, for whatever reason? What if swerving to the left or right is what's best, but it's not what your autonomous system would do? Then what? There has to be a full set of manual controls in order for people inside and outside the car to be safe! It really can't be any other way. Maybe in 50 or 60 years systems might be sophisticated enough to handle everything.. but what, then, about driving places you can't plan on driving to? Offroad? Just 'driving around' for fun, no actual destination? Or do we have to all give that up just so some of you don't have to be bothered about driving? I'm real sorry to have to be so blunt about it, but too many of you just don't seem to understand all the implications of this. You take personal transportation for granted, and you'll only really understand your mistake when it's all taken away from you, and all you have left is a box on wheels that can only take you where you tell it to, and you really have no choices about how it does that. I guarantee you, if and when that day comes you won't feel liberated by it, you'll feel trapped, and especially so if you can't control the vehicle yourself when (not if but, when) something goes wrong.

      --
      Are YOU using the TOOL, or is the TOOL using YOU? Think about it!
    208. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If it's about public health then we should ban all illegal drugs and tightly control prescription drugs because they kill more people every year than are killed in car accidents.

      This may come as a surprise to you, but we've done both.

    209. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by dgatwood · · Score: 1

      What if just stopping means the truck behind you plows into you and you DIE?

      Then either they're following way too closely or your brake lights aren't working? :-) But seriously, I did say that the computer would continue to steer, which presumably would mean steering to the best of its ability towards a shoulder or other safe place to stop, rather than slamming on the brakes at maximum pressure right in front of a speeding semi.

      There has to be a full set of manual controls in order for people inside and outside the car to be safe!

      The thing is, if you have a full set of manual controls, then you, the driver, are at least partially responsible if anything goes wrong, even if you aren't driving, because you could have taken over, and therefore should have taken over. And in many situations, the ability to take over is actually undesirable. For example, consider a tired or drunk person who falls unconscious behind the wheel and ends up hitting the manual steering wheel in a way that causes it to go across the median and into oncoming traffic. That person and the people in the oncoming vehicle(s) would have been better off had the vehicle provided no manual controls beyond a stop button.

      What if swerving to the left or right is what's best, but it's not what your autonomous system would do? Then what?

      What if you think that swerving to the left or right is what's best, but your autonomous vehicle knows that there's a vehicle coming towards you in the left lane and a motorcycle that you can't see in your rearview mirror who is lane-splitting on your right? A driving computer being right when you're wrong should be far more likely than the reverse, because a computer is capable of processing many, many more input sources than a human can. If we aren't to that point, then the vehicles shouldn't on the highway. And when we pass that point, then the human is far more likely to cause an accident by taking over than to prevent one, and it is safer to not have the manual controls at all.

      but what, then, about driving places you can't plan on driving to? Offroad? Just 'driving around' for fun, no actual destination?

      Tell your car which direction to go, and it should be capable of continuing in that direction until it runs out of road or gas, whichever comes first, and it should then come to a stop safely. There's no reason that an automated vehicle inherently requires an explicit destination. The overall driving functionality is almost exactly the same whether there's a destination programmed in or just a direction.

      --

      Check out my sci-fi/humor trilogy at PatriotsBooks.

    210. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > the primary reason for an accident is that someone was driving too fast for the conditions

      Can you prove that? Because other sources claim that "Distracted Driving" is the #1 reason. Speeding is #2.
      https://seriousaccidents.com/legal-advice/top-causes-of-car-accidents/

      The other issue with your post is that you claim that reaction time does not matter (except in rare cases) if you drive carefully. That is true, but once the accident is almost happening, reaction time can prevent it. In other words, with reaction time, you can compensate other mistakes.

      But computers don't rely on reaction time. They rely on the #1 issue. They can focus at 100% for 24/7 and they can see everything in every direction.

    211. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You don't have to use a self driving car then, you fucking luddite

    212. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Shortguy881 · · Score: 1

      I'm not saying their not buying cars, I'm saying given the choice between autonomous and normal, they'd take autonomous. Asking AAA members if they want autonomous cars is like asking them if they use Uber. Not likely.

      --
      Brilliance without wisdom, power without conscience. Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants.
    213. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by hawguy · · Score: 1

      Quit sniveling, coward. Seriously. I can't possibly respect you enough to give you any further consideration. There is nothing you can do to earn anything more than disdain at this point. I've seen old ladies with more courage than you. "I want to take your rights 'cause I'm scared!"

      If you don't have a counterpoint, you don't need to resort to a personal attack. I'm not seeking your respect, and am quite willing to accept your disdain.

      The ability to travel free, and without monitoring, is a rather essential liberty.

      Why do you think you have the ability to travel free and without monitoring? Nearly every one of us carries a tracking device (i.e. cell phone), Sprint alone has received over 8 million requests over a 13 month period for tracking data. And even if you turn off your cell phone, electronic toll tags can silently track you, and license plate reading cameras are becoming more and more ubiquitous both in fixed locations and on police cars and even transit vehicles and other government vehicles.

      Whatever privacy you think you're maintaining by turning your own steering wheel is illusory.

      AVs will, no doubt, require monitoring and will limit where you can go. No, no I'm not okay with that being forced on people because you're unable to control your bladder. You get off the road and leave everyone else's rights alone.

      AV's don't *require* monitoring, if society feels that every citizen has the right to travel anonymously, AV's could easily be programmed to scrub identifying information from any data it sends back to the company. But don't think that just because the car isn't telling people where you are that you're not already being tracked.

      You're dismissed.

      Is this that freedom of speech works in your "free world"? You don't like my opinion so I'm "dismissed"?

    214. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There is a weak point in your argument.. the programmer that made the software in the car... it is as fail capable as a human driver.

      I will feel safe only if the damm car keep a braking pedal that the human can push.

    215. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by MooseTick · · Score: 1

      " if you're driving properly and using situational awareness to ensure you don't need to rely on reaction time"

      That always sounds good, but isn't always achievable in practice. Have you ever been on a highway in the pouring rain where everyone is going 70+? If you go 70 like everyone else, you are likely going to fast. If you go a reasonable 40, you make traffic situations where people become frustrated and do risky maneuvers to get around you. If you really want to be safe, your best option is to not be on the road, but that isn't always an option.

    216. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by MooseTick · · Score: 1

      "Where human lives are at stake you must have a human being as the final unimpeachable failsafe system"

      Have you never ridden in an automated car in an airport that takes you from terminal to terminal? Many have no operator, go fast enough to cause death, and work without being manned.

    217. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Rakarra · · Score: 1

      I'm aware of that. But don't you find it absurd that this is the case?

      Perhaps if the car had been invented in the 18th century it too would be in the Constitution? After all, what use is a well armed militia with no mechanised transport?

      Possibly, but firearms were enshrined as they thought them essential for protecting liberty. There's no section in the Constitution about how the right of people to ride horses shall not be abridged, but likely they didn't foresee the situation.

      However, it's worth noting that one of the primary objections the founders had to the Bill of Rights was that they felt those rights shouldn't NEED to be enumerated. Since the rest of the Constitution did not give the federal government leeway towards restricting speech or firearms, that there was no way for the government to restrict speech or firearms. Supposedly they found those ten Amendments SO important, that they be absolutely certain that the government could never gain that power.

    218. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That's right. If this is true and the percentage of people who feel some sort of fear of driverless cars hold in the population outside AAA, then it is indicative of the banality if the typical American. More Americans are killed by cars (with human drivers) than are killed by guns each year, yet people have an irrational sense of security when in a car on the road. Truly autonomous cars will offer independence to many people who can not drive due to age or disability. They are currently forced to depend upon others for transportation. Public transportation in the USA is an embarrassing joke. It's useless. This is game-changing technology for many people. People need to wake up and embrace the future.

    219. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      After all, a safe driving system wouldn't trust anything it received from another car. It wouldn't treat a car as different from some other unpredictable object, like a rock falling into the road, or the only-sometimes wifi-enabled deer.

      Well, sadly, they are going to. But hopefully, they won't trust anything coming from another car that doesn't pass a basic sanity check, agreeing with what they can actually sense.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    220. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by gzuckier · · Score: 1

      I think you've watched too much sci-fi. Also, there is more to life than safety. Having control over one's transport is a core component of liberal (as in liberty) society.

      that's why the railroads so popular in medieval society wasted away during the 19th century.

      --
      Star Trek transporters are just 3d printers.
    221. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Let's see, software either written by FOTB H1B visa holders or outsourced to the lowest bidder in India, focused more on selling the passengers advertisements than on ensuring their safety, and rushed into release with scores of vulnerabilities.

      Maybe you should keep your brain on.

    222. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Driving isn't even a right, it's a privilege, tell a judge that takes away your license for DUI that he's violating your constitutional right to drive, and he'll laugh you out of the court.

      A common misconception.

      Driving is a right, provided one is competent to do so.

      It arises as part of the 9th Amendment right to travel, a right that US federal courts have recognized as being one of the rights subject to strict scrutiny, and one of the rights retained by the people.

      However, all rights have limits. Just as a bank robbers right to travel can be taken away by putting them in jail, so too can the right to drive be taken away when one is irresponsible or not mentally competent.

    223. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by MooseTick · · Score: 1

      I actually own a motorcycle and enjoy riding it.

    224. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Triklyn · · Score: 1

      god, i think you've just broke the back of this.

      google can't program for assholes.

    225. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by Triklyn · · Score: 1

      yeah, convict a 14 year old.

    226. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by rtb61 · · Score: 1

      No, not for decades, god dam aluminium death tubes with crappy programming especially not a Malaysian arilines whether flying near thehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diego_Garcias I here they'll be used for target practice, not the original inhabitants, I hear they were purposefully refugeed by the British government to allow the US government to turn into a spy base and a drone mass murder operation or in the Ukrainian apparently same player involved in that one as well,revenge for the first incident, blame the victim and all that (apparently the Malaysian government knows full well and there were quite chunky pay-offs to certain individuals within the Malaysian government). So yeah, pretty much avoid them, you never know when some idiots decide to use them for target practice or blow them up or fly them into stuff. So pretty much it if is further than I can walk I limit my visits, ;).

      --
      Chaos - everything, everywhere, everywhen
    227. Re:75% of American Horse Association riders say... by rtb61 · · Score: 1

      You seem to misunderstand, I am not talking about the quality of the software I am talking about the quality of the warranty, nothing more and nothing less and that in conjunction with 'criminal' liabilities. The sterner they are, the better the quality of the software and the more tightly it will align with it's intended application only and avoid all the other kinds of marketing nonsense.

      --
      Chaos - everything, everywhere, everywhen
  2. Probably to be expected by jenningsthecat · · Score: 4, Insightful

    When the automobile first arrived on the scene, many of the people who shouted "get a horse" in the wake of a "stink wagon" likely would have expressed a fear of going for a ride in one. We humans tend to be conservative that way; up to a point, it's a survival trait.

    --
    'The Economy' is a giant Ponzi scheme whose most pitiable suckers are the youngest among us and the yet-unborn.
    1. Re: Probably to be expected by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Amusing that you point to a scenario where operators did not have full control (a horse has self preservation instincts) to one where they do. Hmm.

    2. Re:Probably to be expected by Jack+Griffin · · Score: 1

      When the automobile first arrived on the scene, many of the people who shouted "get a horse" in the wake of a "stink wagon" likely would have expressed a fear of going for a ride in one. We humans tend to be conservative that way; up to a point, it's a survival trait.

      Remember when the Segway came out and it was the future of personal transport? Yeah, not all technology is successful...

    3. Re:Probably to be expected by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Also, many people are probably waiting for the technology to actually be available and then get more information on how it works instead of just blindly trusting it.

      Also, it's worth noting (and I say this as a AAA member) that AAA probably has a heavily skewed population - it's most likely considerably older.

    4. Re:Probably to be expected by roman_mir · · Score: 1

      Forget about safety, I wouldn't give up control of the car for most of my driving, I love driving, I don't do public transportation. I don't like others driving me at all and also I sometimes get sick the way some people drive.

      Now, I think a few pairs of robot eyes on the road and surrounding environment would actually increase my safety, so I am all for the car helping in bad situations, helping to avoid them if I miss something.

    5. Re: Probably to be expected by jenningsthecat · · Score: 1

      Interesting point - if it was allowed I'd mod you up.

      --
      'The Economy' is a giant Ponzi scheme whose most pitiable suckers are the youngest among us and the yet-unborn.
  3. Pretty amazing 25% already by pjrc · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Well that's a pretty amazing endorsement of autonomous vehicles, if *already* 25% of the population is accepting of a new technology they haven't yet experienced.

    1. Re:Pretty amazing 25% already by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ^this
      Humans are still animals and what we don't understand or control scares us. It's perfectly natural; we just have to be made to get use to something.

    2. Re:Pretty amazing 25% already by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Impressive spin. You must be in marketing.

      In other news, already 25% of Trump supporters have already been deemed mentally competent. Take that Hillary!

    3. Re:Pretty amazing 25% already by epyT-R · · Score: 1

      It's bad enough they can't even keep the bugs out of the relatively simple automation software already in vehicles. Then there are the legitimate political concerns once control of the vehicle is removed from the owner and placed in government/corporate hands. They might just decide we don't own our cars anymore, but that will just make the political issues worse.

    4. Re:Pretty amazing 25% already by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I haven't ridden in one but I would vote for feeling safe in an autonomous vehicle today. Why? I trust the engineers to account for 99.99% of the driving I intend to do.

    5. Re:Pretty amazing 25% already by sims+2 · · Score: 2

      You can make software that works but that costs money.. so if lawyers cost more than programmers hopefully everything will be fine.

      --
      Minimum threshold fixed. Thanks!
    6. Re:Pretty amazing 25% already by hawguy · · Score: 1

      I haven't ridden in one but I would vote for feeling safe in an autonomous vehicle today. Why? I trust the engineers to account for 99.99% of the driving I intend to do.

      So if you drive 10000 miles a year, that means there will be one mile a year when your car has no idea what it's doing.

      You may as well let your dog drive for that mile: http://cdn1.theodysseyonline.c...

      I hope they have much better than four 9's of coverage before self-driving cars are let loose on the world.

    7. Re:Pretty amazing 25% already by epyT-R · · Score: 1

      That AI shouldn't be treated as some overpriced middleware generating stats from CSV text files for insurance companies. I guess we're going to find out the hard way whether these things are really safe. I think it is foolish.

      I might have a more positive outlook if there was more progress on the relatively simple problems facing simpler software products (eg security).

      Also, none of this deals with state and corporate control freakery..

    8. Re:Pretty amazing 25% already by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 1

      Then there are the legitimate political concerns once control of the vehicle is removed from the owner and placed in government/corporate hands.

      Control of elevators is already in government/corporate hands. What makes horizontal motion different from vertical? Or do you always use the stairs?

    9. Re:Pretty amazing 25% already by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 1

      So if you drive 10000 miles a year, that means there will be one mile a year when your car has no idea what it's doing.

      Correct. When you turn off the hard surface road, onto a dirt road overgrown with weeds, your SDC may stop and suggest that you take over and drive manually. That may be inconvenient, but it is not unsafe.

    10. Re:Pretty amazing 25% already by epyT-R · · Score: 1

      You are seriously comparing elevators and movement within a single building with automated cars, aircraft, trains, and movement around the country?

    11. Re:Pretty amazing 25% already by Harlequin80 · · Score: 2

      Christ if drivers in general knew what they were doing 95% of the time the roads would be safer. Your assumption is that there is an entire mile in one go where the car doesn't know what it's doing. Where as the reality is that in ever 100 seconds it might have a blip for 0.01 of a second which amounts to 1 mile in every 10,000. It's the same with human drivers, they make mistakes, a lot of mistakes, but the good thing is that they recover from those errors before something bad happens.

      For example I don't know a single person on the road who hasn't once gone "shit, they are stopping faster than I thought" and had to push hard on the brakes.

    12. Re:Pretty amazing 25% already by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 1

      Well that's a pretty amazing endorsement of autonomous vehicles, if *already* 25% of the population is accepting of a new technology they haven't yet experienced.

      Strikingly similar to the 20 percent voting paradigm.

      --
      The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
    13. Re:Pretty amazing 25% already by hawguy · · Score: 1

      Christ if drivers in general knew what they were doing 95% of the time the roads would be safer. Your assumption is that there is an entire mile in one go where the car doesn't know what it's doing. Where as the reality is that in ever 100 seconds it might have a blip for 0.01 of a second which amounts to 1 mile in every 10,000. It's the same with human drivers, they make mistakes, a lot of mistakes, but the good thing is that they recover from those errors before something bad happens.

      For example I don't know a single person on the road who hasn't once gone "shit, they are stopping faster than I thought" and had to push hard on the brakes.

      And how many people have gone "Shit, where'd that deer come from", or "shit, this road is more slippery than I thought, wish I'd slowed down before this curve, now I'm going down an embankment, wish I wasn't heading right for that big tree".

    14. Re:Pretty amazing 25% already by Etcetera · · Score: 1

      Well that's a pretty amazing endorsement of autonomous vehicles, if *already* 25% of the population is accepting of a new technology they haven't yet experienced.

      Millennials.

      I'd like to go into every single humanities class at my alma mater and start showing them a lot of 1970's and '80s sci-fi. It's like they've never even been exposed to the concept that it's possible for technology to fail spectacularly.

    15. Re:Pretty amazing 25% already by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You are seriously comparing elevators and movement within a single building with automated cars, aircraft, trains, and movement around the country?

      Well, if you wanted to run with an analogy, I'd suggest since elevators can be programmed to not stop on certain floors then an automated car could be programmed to not take me certain places that might be otherwise legal to go. Also, elevators crash sometimes. So do cars.

    16. Re:Pretty amazing 25% already by tbannist · · Score: 3, Insightful

      For some reason, your comment (and many others) reminded me of Caveman Science Fiction. It's strange how many Luddites there are on Slashdot...

      --
      Fanatically anti-fanatical
    17. Re:Pretty amazing 25% already by kheldan · · Score: 1

      I must conclude the 25% simply don't understand technology well enough to realize how dangerous it would be.

      --
      Are YOU using the TOOL, or is the TOOL using YOU? Think about it!
    18. Re:Pretty amazing 25% already by Harlequin80 · · Score: 1

      Actually I just had to drive to pick up the kids from school and while I was driving I blinked a couple of times. Pretty sure that pushes me way below the 99.99% threshold.

    19. Re:Pretty amazing 25% already by Spudboy2003 · · Score: 1

      The ABS gets a workout on my vehicle.

    20. Re:Pretty amazing 25% already by Jack+Griffin · · Score: 1

      The numbers were higher for the flying car...

    21. Re:Pretty amazing 25% already by Jack+Griffin · · Score: 1

      For some reason, your comment (and many others) reminded me of Caveman Science Fiction. It's strange how many Luddites there are on Slashdot...

      What's strange is how many so called "nerds" leave their critical thinking at the door as soon as "cool new technology!" gets published.
      Or do you own a Segway too?

    22. Re:Pretty amazing 25% already by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      thats just the retards
      putting your life, every day, in hands of the same people that code windows, android, and all that crap is retarded. Its not a simple mechanism, when it crashes you die for real, a blue screen of death does not actually kill you, If you go on the road with moderate speed, you dont need a space age car with a trillion sensors. Also this cars will always require the hooman to be at the wheel to avoid liability, so they are pointless to begin with, when im going up the mountain i see from my window these cars will hit the exact same black ice i will hit, they will crash, and since im going to be at the wheel its still my fault. They are more pointless than a woman with no titties

    23. Re:Pretty amazing 25% already by tbannist · · Score: 1

      What's strange is how many so called "nerds" leave their critical thinking at the door as soon as "cool new technology!" gets published.

      Funny, that was exactly what I was just saying... It seems to me that not a few people are leaving the thinking part out.

      Or do you own a Segway too?

      Interestingly, I think autonomous vehicles actually have the potential to live up to the hype around the original Segway announcement. I'm sure there will be huge problems with autonomous vehicles and many set backs, but I think they will ultimately prevail. And frankly, it seems to me that the people who think autonomous vehicles are literally an impossible technology, lack both vision and imagination. They should hand in their Slashdot ids and go start a subreddit or something, and maybe they'll improve the quality of both sites...

      --
      Fanatically anti-fanatical
    24. Re:Pretty amazing 25% already by dave420 · · Score: 1

      Bleating out "millennials" is not "critical thinking", even if it's in support of your argument. You'd know that if you were employing critical thinking.

    25. Re:Pretty amazing 25% already by sims+2 · · Score: 1

      No it doesn't but on that subject I still feel that any SDC should still have a manual control thats works just like any non SDC today. Should the govt be able to remotely direct SDCs? Sure if the bridge is out redirect the traffic and save all that time. Will that happen? Only if its made a requirement early on or were going to be stuck with several diffent SDCs all with different incompatible control Apis if they have Apis at all. Make it optional but on by default "accept route changes from DOT"
      People will leave it on or be annoyed at having driven another 30 miles just to find out the bridge is out.

      Companies like to make sure their products are as compatible as nessasary but no further.

      For example verizon wireless is still today selling basic phones that will only run apps from Verizon's store.
      Or how I can only print via bluetooth on certain phones because even though they support the latest bluetooth spec they decided not to implement all the features for whatever reason.

      They aren't going to do it on their own... They will have to be forced or paid exorbitant amounts of money.

      --
      Minimum threshold fixed. Thanks!
    26. Re:Pretty amazing 25% already by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      In other news, already 25% of Trump supporters have already been deemed mentally competent. Take that Hillary!

      Citation required for such outlandish claims.

    27. Re:Pretty amazing 25% already by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      t's like they've never even been exposed to the concept that it's possible for technology to fail spectacularly.

      As opposed to human beings, which never fail spectacularly. Especially never behind a wheel. /s

      Perhaps support for autonomous vehicles is not so much about believing autonomous vehicles are failsafe, but that autonomous vehicles are safer than human drivers. Human drivers are notoriously bad at driving. We don't really have the perception necessary to drive, as as this video shows, where many people won't be able to count the number of passes successfully. Quite frankly, our brains tend not to have the capability to accurately perceive the world around us.

    28. Re:Pretty amazing 25% already by ceoyoyo · · Score: 2

      I'll bet you that out of 10000 miles of driving there's at least one where any human driver will be tuned out. Hopefully not all at the same time.

    29. Re:Pretty amazing 25% already by shawn2772 · · Score: 1

      Well that's a pretty amazing endorsement of autonomous vehicles, if *already* 25% of the population is accepting of a new technology they haven't yet experienced.

      The headline should actually read "75% of drivers speculate that they might not feel safe in an autonomous vehicle", because none of those polled know anything about how they'd actually feel, having never even seen an autonomous vehicle in operation, much less been in one.

    30. Re:Pretty amazing 25% already by Etcetera · · Score: 1

      As opposed to human beings, which never fail spectacularly. Especially never behind a wheel. /s

      Perhaps support for autonomous vehicles is not so much about believing autonomous vehicles are failsafe, but that autonomous vehicles are safer than human drivers. Human drivers are notoriously bad at driving.

      And yet we do drive. Millions of us. Every day.

      I'm far more of the belief that support for autonomous vehicles correlates with city/location and type of environment you live in. Dense urban environments, especially those planned (or un-planned) before the use of cars provide an entirely different upbringing than wide-open Western US areas. If all you ever do is take public transit, taxies, or (now) Uber's, then the switch to an autonomous car isn't that big. If you're used to driving, and don't have a particular need to be hands-off during your drives, then driving might represent something entirely different.

      In San Francisco, ~30% of households don't have a car. In Los Angeles, it's ~13%, and in San Diego (where I live) it's ~7% and dropping now that the economy's been recovering and the delayed millennials are buying them. Most are happy to and enjoy being behind the wheel.

    31. Re:Pretty amazing 25% already by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      25% of people are willing to entrust their lives to a technology they have absolutely no experience of, to me it sounds like 25% of people are naive and will believe what ever Google/hype will tell them.

    32. Re:Pretty amazing 25% already by Rakarra · · Score: 1

      You can make software that works but that costs money.. so if lawyers cost more than programmers hopefully everything will be fine.

      Let me guess, part of my lease/buyer agreement with the software will be a forfeiture of my right to sue, instead ferrying me into binding arbitration. The usual way for corporations these days to wipe their hands clean and say "not my problem anymore, I don't give a shit."

    33. Re:Pretty amazing 25% already by Rakarra · · Score: 1

      So if you drive 10000 miles a year, that means there will be one mile a year when your car has no idea what it's doing.

      Correct. When you turn off the hard surface road, onto a dirt road overgrown with weeds, your SDC may stop and suggest that you take over and drive manually. That may be inconvenient, but it is not unsafe.

      Yet so many of the posters here have implied or outright stated that in order for the roads to be safe, a manual option cannot, must not be a feature. It seemed a bit extreme to me..

    34. Re:Pretty amazing 25% already by Jack+Griffin · · Score: 1

      And frankly, it seems to me that the people who think autonomous vehicles are literally an impossible technology, lack both vision and imagination. They should hand in their Slashdot ids and go start a subreddit or something, and maybe they'll improve the quality of both sites...

      Well I haven't seen that argument being made anywhere. What I have seen is the whole concept of viable personal transport being simplified into a safety argument.
      I dispute for a few of reasons:
      1. There is a lot more to driving than safety (eg we accept certain risks in the name of freedom of choice, and quality of life)
      2. If safety is your main driver, how about starting with mandatory seatbelt laws? Mandatory helmets would also help, but see point 1 above.
      3. The biggest issue in large cities is not safety but congestion. A robot car does nothing to solve this (in fact it could make it worse as public transport will now have less efficient competition.
      If you love the technology, then why not robot buses and trains? The car simply does not scale, so any car, petrol, electric, human or robot driven all fails the same scale problem.

    35. Re:Pretty amazing 25% already by Jack+Griffin · · Score: 1

      Bleating out "millennials" is not "critical thinking", even if it's in support of your argument. You'd know that if you were employing critical thinking.

      I didn't say that...

    36. Re:Pretty amazing 25% already by tbannist · · Score: 1

      Well I haven't seen that argument being made anywhere.

      There actually are a couple of people commenting here that were making exactly that argument, that driving is far too complicated to be successfully automated.

      1. There is a lot more to driving than safety (eg we accept certain risks in the name of freedom of choice, and quality of life)

      Safety is, however, one of the primary concerns with transportation technology.

      2. If safety is your main driver, how about starting with mandatory seatbelt laws? Mandatory helmets would also help, but see point 1 above.

      It looks like all 50 states have some form of mandatory seatbelt legislation (although it does look like a lot of the states have mediocre seat belt laws). I don't know what the net effect of mandatory helmets for cars would be, but after a bit research several different people suggested that the helmet does not provide much additional protection if the seatbelt is used and the car has air bags. Several also suggested that the helmet would make some of the more types of car occupant injuries worse, for example, the added weight of the helmet would make whiplash and non-impact brain injuries worse.

      3. The biggest issue in large cities is not safety but congestion. A robot car does nothing to solve this (in fact it could make it worse as public transport will now have less efficient competition. If you love the technology, then why not robot buses and trains?

      On the one hand, automated cars should reduce the number of accidents and that should reduce congestion problems (of course, the convenience may induce additional congestion), on the other hand automated buses and trains seem like an obvious application of the autonomous vehicle technology, I don't think anyone is specifically excluding them.

      --
      Fanatically anti-fanatical
    37. Re:Pretty amazing 25% already by Jack+Griffin · · Score: 1

      There actually are a couple of people commenting here that were making exactly that argument, that driving is far too complicated to be successfully automated.

      Where? I'm sure a robot can be taught to drive a car, but it's whole other argument as to whether it's viable to become mainstream (you know things like public acceptance, politics, impact to traffic, restriction of personal freedom, cost etc)

      Safety is, however, one of the primary concerns with transportation technology.

      One of, but not the only. And of all the other concerns this concept fails miserably.
      We don't have actual details, but I expect this will cost more, go slower and be more restrictive. Hardly the things that sell cars.

      Several also suggested that the helmet would make some of the more types of car occupant injuries worse, for example, the added weight of the helmet would make whiplash and non-impact brain injuries worse.

      I can't find the exact study, but recall reading something a while ago that said a headband (similar to a lightweight cycle helmet but only fits around the sides of the head rather than the full face like a motorcycle helmet would improve safety. Whiplash can also be prevented with compulsory neck braces, just like race car drivers use.
      We also know that reducing speed in accidents reduces injury, so we could make the speed limits ridiculously low.
      The point here, that safety is not the only concern since these solutions already exist but aren't implemented.

      On the one hand, automated cars should reduce the number of accidents and that should reduce congestion problems (of course, the convenience may induce additional congestion),

      This is my main sticking point. They probably could reduce accidents overall, if everyone has one. But that is a big if, because not everyone will want one.
      I can't ever imagine they will be faster, since they will have to err on cautious, whereas most humans already speed and run risks in the name of saving a few minutes.
      And based on my own personal experience of having a similar capability. I have regular, reliable public transport at my door, which goes most places I want to go - ie what a robot car offers, or I can ride my motorbike. I choose to ride my bike. It's less safe, more fun, and much quicker. I'm sure I'm not the only person that has similar choices.

      on the other hand automated buses and trains seem like an obvious application of the autonomous vehicle technology, I don't think anyone is specifically excluding them.

      No, but no-one likes to talk about it because it isn't as Sci-fi/George Jetson as Robot cars. I think robot transport is inevitable. We already have automated trains, elevators, escalators etc, but whether this automation will extend to personal transport, ie the thing that people are most emotionally attached to because of the feeling of freedom it gives, I think is another argument altogether.

    38. Re:Pretty amazing 25% already by tbannist · · Score: 1

      No, but no-one likes to talk about it because it isn't as Sci-fi/George Jetson as Robot cars. I think robot transport is inevitable. We already have automated trains, elevators, escalators etc, but whether this automation will extend to personal transport, ie the thing that people are most emotionally attached to because of the feeling of freedom it gives, I think is another argument altogether.

      You've got some good points there, but I think there are a lot of people who either aren't that emotionally attached to the feeling of freedom they get from a vehicle, or would prefer the convenience of an autonomous vehicle. My guess is that autonomous vehicles will eventually win out, partly based on a small observation on manual versus automatic transmissions, namely that only about 4% of cars sold in 2013 had a manual transmission (down from almost 30% in the 1980s). True, the change from manual to automatic is a smaller change, but it is something to consider.

      Also, I suspect most of the first few generations of autonomous vehicles will have a steering wheel and pedals and the driver will be able to switch the autonomous mode on or off. I expect it'll probably be a while before there are cars that are not designed to be driven manually.

      --
      Fanatically anti-fanatical
  4. Film at 11 by whoever57 · · Score: 1

    Company that will be redundant in a world of autonomous cars produces survey that shows people won't accept the very thing that will make it redundant. Film at 11.

    --
    The real "Libtards" are the Libertarians!
    1. Re:Film at 11 by whoever57 · · Score: 1

      To clarify why the AAA will be redundant: the most likely scenario for adoption of autonomous cars is that individuals will not own them. Instead, people will sign up for a car service.

      If you are paying for a service, you don't need most of the products and services that AAA offers.

      --
      The real "Libtards" are the Libertarians!
    2. Re:Film at 11 by damnbunni · · Score: 1

      My car insurance already includes the important part of what AAA offers: Roadside assistance.

      Otherwise... they have a travel agent. I haven't used one of those since airline ticket bookings went on line. They offer passport photos, which I can get just about anywhere. They have 'emergency check cashing' but I haven't carried a checkbook in a decade. There are insurance benefits, but I've already got insurance. There are route planning services,but Google Maps has that covered.

      So unless you're going to buy enough stuff from their discount partners to make back the cost of the membership, it ain't worth it.

    3. Re:Film at 11 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      To clarify why the AAA will be redundant: the most likely scenario for adoption of autonomous cars is that individuals will not own them. Instead, people will sign up for a car service.

      If you are paying for a service, you don't need most of the products and services that AAA offers.

      That or AAA will morph to one of those services.

    4. Re:Film at 11 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      To clarify why the AAA will be redundant: the most likely scenario for adoption of autonomous cars is that individuals will not own them. Instead, people will sign up for a car service.

      If you are paying for a service, you don't need most of the products and services that AAA offers.

      That or AAA will morph to one of those services.

      Will morph into a one of those car service organizations, that is.

    5. Re:Film at 11 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well, AAA is an association of automobile enthusiasts that for a time also served people who just need to commute. It remains to be seen, though whether their services are truly not needed post ownership. People who don't own cars will still take their (rental, perhaps) autonomous cars out on private excursions, so they'll still need guides of all the interesting places that can be driven to and roadside assistance

    6. Re:Film at 11 by i.r.id10t · · Score: 2

      AAA (I have a "plus" membership which has extra goodies to make it worth while, esp, the 100 miles free towing) has bent over backwards to take care of me, including being willing to send a flat bed tow truck down from Georgia (I'm in N Fla about 90 miles from the border) for my antique Porsche. When I had a truck stolen, they offered to pay hotels, etc (I was camping, so I was good, but the offer was impressive) and when it was recovered they paid the towing and recovery costs.

      --
      Don't blame me, I voted for Kodos
    7. Re:Film at 11 by hawguy · · Score: 2

      Company that will be redundant in a world of autonomous cars produces survey that shows people won't accept the very thing that will make it redundant.

      Film at 11.

      Look at their demographics and their survey results make sense:

      http://www.aaapublishingnetwor...

      Median Age: 54
      69% of members are age 55+
      10% of members are age 18-34

      Older people are naturally going to reject new technology, my parents have never gotten an ATM card, when they need cash, they go to a bank and cash a check, like they always did. And they carry vast sums (in my eyes) of cash around with them -- dad has over $500 in his wallet (mostly in 100's tucked in a "hidden" picket), *and* he has another thousand hidden in his pickup *and* they have a safe at home with another $1000+.

    8. Re:Film at 11 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Median Age: 54
      69%[sic] of members are age 55+
      10% of members are age 18-34

      It's actually 64%, but either way that is a fascinating thing to publish. The median of a set is defined as the element for which 50% of the set is above and 50% is below, yet with 64% of their members aged 55+ they claim a median age of 54. Clearly that is impossible. I wonder if they confused mean and median for that infographic, or if they are just lying for some reason.

    9. Re:Film at 11 by NormalVisual · · Score: 2

      AAA (I have a "plus" membership which has extra goodies to make it worth while, esp, the 100 miles free towing)

      And then there's the Premier membership which includes one 200 mile tow along with up to three 100 mile tows per year. I don't know of any insurance-provided roadside assistance program that offers a comparable benefit. A single 200 mile tow would make up for several years' worth of membership fees.

      --
      Please stand clear of the doors, por favor mantenganse alejado de las puertas
    10. Re:Film at 11 by b0bby · · Score: 1

      Sure, if you have an antique Porsche or an MG AAA absolutely makes sense, but most newer cars are pretty reliable. My two cars are both over 10 years old, and I have never needed to have them towed, so I have saved $1000 over the last 10 years by not having that peace of mind. I did need to get a tow company out once to get a seized rim off, but that was less than $100. Most people are better off financially just paying for the service they need when they need it.

    11. Re:Film at 11 by Bender0x7D1 · · Score: 2

      So, you have never encountered a road hazard? Or been in an accident? All it takes is a rock to hit your oil pan, or a bad pothole to damage your wheel, or snow/ice/debris on a road to send you into the ditch, or a deer that decides it wants to commit suicide.

      Sure - on AVERAGE people are better off just paying for the service when they need it, but that doesn't work if you have something unusual/expensive. For example, my AAA membership (Premier RV - and I drive a reliable car) includes being pulled out of a ditch by 2 tow trucks and 200 miles of towing. If you went into a steep ditch a ways from home/your preferred mechanic, that is going to cost you over $500 - and may head towards $1k.

      Since I've had a deer run in front of my car, and been sent into a ditch by ice (I was doing 15 MPH on a straight highway, and just started sliding sideways) I am more than happy to pay my $100/year to KNOW I am covered. Plus, I don't have to worry about finding a local towing company that wants to come out in the middle of the night. I call AAA and they handle everything else.

      --
      Reading code is like reading the dictionary - you have to read half of it before you can go back and understand it.
    12. Re:Film at 11 by b0bby · · Score: 1

      I'm not saying you shouldn't buy AAA, but I personally view them just like extended warrantys. Sure, I'm rolling the dice, and maybe I'll end up needing an expensive tow one day. When I was driving around in my mid-70s Caddy I did have AAA, but these days I don't bother.

    13. Re:Film at 11 by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      OK. Do you have an argument for the rest of us, who know how to change a tire?

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
  5. Loaded question anyone? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    In other news, after testing dozens of questions and figuring out how to phrase the results in a good light, company that relies on human drivers for its business model declares driverless cars to be bad and stuff according to small sample size survey. Also states "please don't leave, we literally don't know what else to do."

  6. A study of triple A drivers finds... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    That 75% of people who use AAA wouldn't feel safe in an autonomous car. Also at 11, selection-bias and what means to you.

  7. Partial autonomy works, at least. by OFnow · · Score: 1

    Tesla owners with Tesla's not-quite-autonomous cruise control really love it. The 75% will feel differently in 5 years, I predict.

    1. Re:Partial autonomy works, at least. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Tesla has deployed a total of about 100,000 cars. For reference, AAA membership is 54,000,000 and doesn't even cover all drivers, so Tesla owners account for about .2% or less of all drivers in America. The profile a Tesla driver is a rich, techie elite, early adopter, who is far more like to engage with a new technology than the average consumer. I'm not sure you can use an anecdote of Tesla drivers to represent the average American driver and extrapolate that eventually all drivers will love it.

  8. Well duh. by sims+2 · · Score: 1

    The tech just isn't good enough yet.

    Yet being the key word there.

    --
    Minimum threshold fixed. Thanks!
    1. Re:Well duh. by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 1

      The tech just isn't good enough yet.

      Yet being the key word there.

      Is the tech going to respond properly to mechanical failures?

      --
      The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
    2. Re:Well duh. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      is a human going to respond properly to mechanical failures when they're panicking?

    3. Re:Well duh. by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      Is the tech going to respond properly to mechanical failures?

      It's going to do a better job than you are.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    4. Re:Well duh. by dave420 · · Score: 1

      It will probably do better than humans, as due to its feedback from the car's handling and performance, it will be able to detect small changes with far more accuracy than a human can, identifying possible problems before they become insurmountable. Humans are terrible at this. Absolutely terrible.

    5. Re:Well duh. by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 1

      is a human going to respond properly to mechanical failures when they're panicking?

      It is a matter of time in most cases. The idea of having enough time to react to the situation is the important thing. If I'm dozing off and something happens, the time for me to process the nature of the emergency and what to do will mean it's all over by the time I wake up.

      And if I have to remain completely vigilant, ready at any moment to take over the car, hands on wheel, feet at the ready, then what's the point?

      This is why I support most of the driving aids like anti tailgating radar, lane assist ( a huge one) parking assist, and others, I still think the way to keep an alert driver is to keep them in the loop, aka driving the car.

      --
      The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
    6. Re:Well duh. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes. And I would bet on a computer controlled algorithm that's been tuned over millions of miles over someone who's never been in a skid before.

    7. Re:Well duh. by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 1

      Yes. And I would bet on a computer controlled algorithm that's been tuned over millions of miles over someone who's never been in a skid before.

      Betting indicates odds and uncertainty.

      But since you're sure, and all of my questions are moot, it's full speed ahead! Nary a problem anywhere, it looks like humanities first perfect and failsafe system.

      And that is great heaping gobs of sarcasm.

      --
      The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
    8. Re:Well duh. by 0ld_d0g · · Score: 1

      Yeah yeah yeah, all those things look good on some power-point slides. Knowing how shitty human programmers are, and given that the company driving this is Google, which is known to release constant patches to fix bugs in their products. Their crowning achievement, algorithmic data mining/analysis is so terrible that it can't even prevent outright fraudulent and spammy links from showing up in search results. I hear this awesome algorithm is worth "billions". Hell they practically invented the browser-bug-patch treadmill.

      So yeah, you'll have to excuse us for not being thrilled at the possibility of a computer algorithm being more accurate than a human. The reality is you're going to have some shitty phone-home internet-of-things type shit-show where you have to reboot your car in order to get to work on time. And this is right after you insert your credit card to download the new CarOS 2.3 which will eventually overload the shitty ass under-powered CPU that they choose to use in order to save $5.40 on the BOM.

    9. Re:Well duh. by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 1

      Yeah yeah yeah, all those things look good on some power-point slides

      Now that is an interesting point. Can humans, who are apparently so bad at driving, create a sysem which appears to be perfect as far as what we are being told?

      --
      The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
  9. yeah by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    l wonder how many of those drivers make me feel unsafe when they are in control of the wheel.

  10. And 80% of Americans are better than average by drew_kime · · Score: 4, Funny

    And 80% of Americans are better than average drivers.

    --
    Nope, no sig
    1. Re:And 80% of Americans are better than average by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I fully believe self driving cars will be very well done. I look forward to it.

      Right now I would be quite hesitant to take one out on a normal set of roads on say a lightly rainy windy day.

      Right now they are not even 'early alpha' stage. They may work very well in a set of specific conditions. Outside of that it probably does not do very well. I would say we are somewhere between 10-15 years for full scale use. 5-10 for limited use in particular cases.

      I am in that 20%. :) Yesterday I almost caused a 3 car wreck. Luckily I was able to hit the break before it happened.

    2. Re:And 80% of Americans are better than average by gnasher719 · · Score: 1

      99 percent of Americans have more legs than average. Really, it's a fact.

    3. Re:And 80% of Americans are better than average by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This is funny because the drew_kime doesn't know the difference between "average" and "median".

  11. 75% of any group fear any change or unknown by Bob_Who · · Score: 2

    Did we really need an actuary to report these stats, or is this just the hard sell on new auto insurance products to cover your every fear. Clearly there is anxiety whenever a change is proposed. Its universally true, in general, and makes this information very mundane.

  12. It's about loss of control. by SeaFox · · Score: 4, Interesting

    How many feel safe in a car driven by a stranger (taxi or otherwise)?
    I know I personally feel safer when I'm driving my car at high speeds on the highway compared to riding with someone else driving.

    1. Re:It's about loss of control. by epyT-R · · Score: 1

      That's right. It's about taking as much control away as possible without having us frogs jump out of the pot.

    2. Re: It's about loss of control. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah, the rest of us don't freak out when we're in taxis. In fact, it's better to be with a professional driver who does this all day, every day. It's just you, pal.

    3. Re: It's about loss of control. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      lol @ "professional driver"

    4. Re:It's about loss of control. by Spudboy2003 · · Score: 2

      I suck at driving. I'd rather have Stevie Wonder drive me around town.

    5. Re:It's about loss of control. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      People don't seem to realize they have already been in an autonomous vehicle.
      Planes fly on autopilot for long distances, some even land full auto.

    6. Re: It's about loss of control. by Jack+Griffin · · Score: 1

      Yeah, the rest of us don't freak out when we're in taxis.

      speak for yourself...

    7. Re:It's about loss of control. by dave420 · · Score: 1

      It speaks volumes about how you view the world if driving your car amounts to "control". How utterly sad.

    8. Re:It's about loss of control. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      when a stranger is driving and crashes and a piece of metal chops your dick off, the guy or his insurance will have to pay for a replacement dick

      this cars drive themselves with you at the wheel to take responsability, its all sorts of stupid

    9. Re:It's about loss of control. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You know that if you slowly boil a pot of water with a frog in it, the frog jumps out.

      If you are going to base your arguments on ancient wives tales, you're going to get the quality of conclusions that false supporting arguments lead to.

    10. Re:It's about loss of control. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Except most of the 'frogs' are terrible at driving and have no business doing it.

    11. Re:It's about loss of control. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Found the manual transmission snob

    12. Re:It's about loss of control. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Planes generally don't have a line of trees to twenty metres the right though.

    13. Re:It's about loss of control. by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      Found the non-driver.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    14. Re:It's about loss of control. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Whoosh

  13. They're right by penguinoid · · Score: 1

    I wouldn't feel safe in an autonomous vehicle, not yet. Yes, their current safety record is impressive, but it's fake. However, it won't be long before they're ready.

    --
    Don't waste your vote! Vote for whoever you want, unless you live in a swing state it won't matter anyways
    1. Re:They're right by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What do you mean fake? They drive on real road conditions within the areas they're permitted to test.

    2. Re:They're right by Roger+W+Moore · · Score: 1

      Yes, their current safety record is impressive, but it's fake.

      It's not fake it is just statistically limited in the same way that Concorde went from being the safest commercial passenger plane on record to the most dangerous with one crash.

    3. Re:They're right by penguinoid · · Score: 2

      Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't the professional human driver (or was that drivers) frequently override the autopilot? Don't they only drive in nice weather conditions? Are they still limiting themselves to pre-scanned roads? Are they still limiting themselves to low traffic conditions and slow speeds?

      Don't get me wrong -- these are all the right thing to do. From a safety perspective, from a liability perspective, from a PR nightmare. It may not be the true driving record, but it is definitely the right way to debug. I can't even begrudge them pretending it's a driving record -- in a little while they'll be better drivers than us, and convincing people to trust the autopilot will save lives.

      --
      Don't waste your vote! Vote for whoever you want, unless you live in a swing state it won't matter anyways
    4. Re:They're right by wvmarle · · Score: 2

      For the distance driven by autonomous cars, human drivers would statistically have had a couple dozen crashes already. The self-driving cars have been involved in a few crashes, all due to failure of humans, and that number is statistically low. There's now just one incident where the driverless car may have been responsible (but from what I read about it, that's debatable).

      Concorde had only a very limited number of flights compared to other aircraft types and airplane crashes are extremely rare, so one incident has a big impact. Instead the autonomous vehicle is already many crashes behind on the average human driver, so to even catch up with humans it has to cause easily a dozen serious crashes in the next week or so.

    5. Re:They're right by Jack+Griffin · · Score: 1

      For the distance driven by autonomous cars, human drivers would statistically have had a couple dozen crashes already.

      Yeah because human drivers drive on more than just one stretch of road over and over again. You'll excuse me if I wait til some real world tests are done, on unknown roads in unknown conditions, you know like humans have to put up with...

    6. Re:They're right by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      For the distance driven by autonomous cars, human drivers would statistically have had a couple dozen crashes already.

      Google cars would have had far more except they have a professional driver who overrides the system when things start to go south or look like they will. This is not hard to understand.

    7. Re:They're right by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And as the article earlier posted, that safety record has to be called into question, because the previous article indicated that the backup driver didn't take over like he should have. Googles claim had always been that it'd never been in an accident while in autonomous mode, but it has been well known that the Google cars had been in an extremely large number of accidents considering the number of them (contrary to your claim of the number being low, I seem to recall the number was in a fleet of 50, having about 20 accidents in less than 6 months, that's a lot). The marketing line Google always used though was that it was always in human control at the time. This has had me thinking that yeah, the software put itself into a position where an accident was inevitable, then kicked itself into human control mode. That way Google could claim it's self driving feature was perfectly safe, and the accident with the bus seems to support my hypothesis.

    8. Re:They're right by ceoyoyo · · Score: 1

      This is why measures of dispersion are important. Never trust a number without a confidence interval.

  14. Alternative title - people are conservative! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    In 1997 a late majority were uncomfortable with the idea of shopping with a credit card online. 20 years before that the majority were uncomfortable with using an ATM instead of seeing a person at the bank. I have no idea why anyone with a pulse would be surprised by this. Oh wait, I do. The person who wrote this story is stupid.

    1. Re:Alternative title - people are conservative! by buck-yar · · Score: 2

      Its someone with an agenda manufacturing news.

    2. Re: Alternative title - people are conservative! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The person who wrote the story is smart. The 'steel driving men' reading it and bragging about how great of drivers they are and no computer could ever beat them? Stupid!

  15. Talk about control. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Imagine if you could cause someone's car to crash, killing them, and nobody would be the wiser - as trivially as popping the baked-in password in a network appliance.

    Imagine you're Princess Diana.

    1. Re:Talk about control. by ceoyoyo · · Score: 1

      We're in a magical time, a time of transition. Gone are the days when every kid knew what a brake like was, and carried a jack knife. Not yet arrived are the days when every kid carries a pocket computer and knows how to crack a password.

  16. Entirely agree with them by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Robotics and artificial intelligence have not evolved to the point to handle driving. Not even close.

    Take translation for example. Try translating a Chinese document in Google and see if you can understand much beyond broad outlines (sometimes you don't even get that).

    If Google cannot develop a system smart enough to handle a relatively simple task such as text translation adequately, it for sure cannot make a reliable autonomous vehicle. You are talking about a system that has to perform multiple pattern recognition, estimate probability of collision, watch out for pedestarians/other vehicles who simply break the rules, etc. All with perfect accuracy.

    True, it is equipped with a few tools that are not at the disposal of your average driver, like radars and such, but that does not necessarily make the system more intelligent.

    1. Re:Entirely agree with them by xandos · · Score: 1

      Last time I checked its much harder for most humans to learn a second language and competently translate documents than it is to learn to drive.

  17. Insurance company doesn't like self driving cars!! by EmperorOfCanada · · Score: 1

    Wow they found a study done by a company that sells auto accident insurance that doesn't like a self driving future. Wow. Stop the presses. What next Pop makes you thin? Cigarettes are good for healthy lungs. Vodka to help babies sleep?

    I have repeatedly stated that the best part of Self Driving Cars will be the war on them declared by the many parties that are going to lose big when they come. Insurance companies are going to lead the charge, but I can even see traffic cops realizing that their days are numbered. Even the companies that paint lines on the road are going to hire lobbyists before this is done.

  18. Totally ridiculous by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Autonomous vehicles are already proven to be far safer than human-driven vehicles.

  19. Wrong question by gurps_npc · · Score: 4, Interesting
    Here are the right questions.

    Would you feel safer if your 17 year old / 71 year old / relative./neighbor rode in a driverless car or a drove themselves.

    Also, would you feel safer in a NYC cab driven by an immigrant or in a driverless car.

    --
    excitingthingstodo.blogspot.com
    1. Re: Wrong question by snowsnoot · · Score: 1

      Or perhaps, a passenger jetliner that flies itself? Oh wait..

    2. Re:Wrong question by epyT-R · · Score: 0

      17yo then 71 year old, then a dog, then a rock, then an 'autonomous' vehicle.

      1. 17yo has keener senses, but lacks maturity. This is a social problem that can be fixed, but requires altering the current "feed it to me through a needle" culture. This is difficult but probably easier than designing a truly autonomous yet safe robot, at least with current technology.

      2. The 71yo has wisdom but lacks keen senses. Still, though, he has predictable behavior.

      3. A dog can't reach the pedals or turn the wheel so he's not going more than 5mph with the clutch out.. at least until he hits something or someone. Same with the rock. People obsess over speed when talking about safety, but it's really about relative velocity with the rest of traffic.

      4. The 'autonomous' car is only slightly smarter than the rock, yet has full control over equipment that can barrel down the road at 80. It was likely programmed by H1B immigrants. This is worse because at least the NY cabbie would feel the pressure of self preservation.

      Both the 17 and 71 year old examples appeal to fallacious generalizations. Most 17yos and most 71yos are good drivers. However, generalization applies much more greatly to a fleet of autonomous cars all running the same software and sensory hardware. Considering the abysmal security track record computing has, the last thing I'd want is to give a mesh networked computer system control over my commute. Oh, and don't forget bugs and control freak politicians.

    3. Re:Wrong question by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Being an immigrant doesn't automatically make you a bad driver.

    4. Re: Wrong question by Spudboy2003 · · Score: 1

      This is coming. And people will do it willingly. Since the fares will be cheaper. People like cheap.

    5. Re:Wrong question by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      would you feel safer in a NYC cab driven by an immigrant or in a driverless car.

      Is that you, Trump?

    6. Re: Wrong question by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I wonder how different a result you'd get if the question was: Would you feel safe if everyone *else* was required to use autonomous vehicles.

    7. Re: Wrong question by snowsnoot · · Score: 1

      My point was that its already here, pretty much. They can even land themselves now.

    8. Re:Wrong question by Jack+Griffin · · Score: 1

      Here are the right questions.

      Would you feel safer if your 17 year old / 71 year old / relative./neighbor rode in a driverless car or a drove themselves.

      Also, would you feel safer in a NYC cab driven by an immigrant or in a driverless car.

      Those aren't the right questions for most people who don't have those requirements. Or do you honestly think that loading the question to suit you preferred answer is really a robust method?

    9. Re:Wrong question by RockDoctor · · Score: 1
      If the immigrant were a professional Finnish rally driver ... I think I'd take the bus. (Does NYC have buses?)

      Or were you assuming the immigrant was an uneducated unlicensed Uber immigrant?

      --
      Birds are not dinosaur descendants;birds are dinosaurs, for all useful meanings of "birds", "are" and "dinosaurs"
    10. Re:Wrong question by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      the software from the driverless car could have been made by pajeet who does not poo in the loo because he lives in india

      hows that fucking different from an inmigrant driving?

    11. Re:Wrong question by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, that's a loaded question designed to get a specific answer that you're looking for. Asking if a person would feel safe in a self driving car is much less loaded than your alternative. Seriously, how is this post considered insightful?

    12. Re:Wrong question by dave420 · · Score: 1

      What does "immigrant" have to do with this discussion? Are suddenly all non-Americans terrible drivers or something?

    13. Re:Wrong question by dave420 · · Score: 0

      You condemn "fallacious generalizations", yet mention H1B immigrants being poor coders. You claim that autonomous cars are only slightly smarter than a rock, which is strange considering they are already better drivers than people, albeit in rather favourable circumstances, meaning you think people should be somewhere between a rock and a self-driving car in favourable conditions.

      Your argument isn't logically consistent, yet you keep proudly making it again and again.

    14. Re:Wrong question by gurps_npc · · Score: 1
      Immigrant means they did not grow up with the US's legal driving system/culture.

      Some countries simply drive on the "wrong" side of the road. I don't want someone from Britain accidentally pulling out the wrong way. Others have radically different driving cultures - where laws, speed limits signs, and common courtesy are more a 'suggestion' than a requirement.

      Most of this applies to recent immigrants, not ones that have been in our country for years.

      --
      excitingthingstodo.blogspot.com
    15. Re:Wrong question by gurps_npc · · Score: 1
      You fail to understand the nuisances of the question.

      Problem 1) Everyone THINKS they are a good/above average driver. Therefore 75% of the population doesn't want to let a car drive them. but 50% of the population is a BELOW average driver. That means that at best, 25% of the population that are below average drivers, wrongly think they are good drivers and said they would rather drive themselves. My question was designed to make people overcome their own arrogance and think about bad drivers.

      Problem 2) You are wrong about most people not having those requirements. While most people are not a 17 year old, nor are they a 71 year old, most people HAVE a 17 year old kid or a 71 year old relative. Those that don't have a 17 year old neighbor or a 71 year old neighbor. The question is whether they want these people, who drive on the same roads as they do, to drive themselves, or to use a driverless car.

      --
      excitingthingstodo.blogspot.com
    16. Re:Wrong question by gurps_npc · · Score: 1
      I was thinking that the nice gentleman from England would by nature and habit drive on the left side of the road.

      Or the newly arrived gentleman from the Dominican Republic, (a lovely country with beautiful beaches) who grew up in a place where traffic laws are routinely ignored - and has the second highest death rate per mile driven.

      Different countries have different cultures of driving. If you have not grown up in the country, you are far more likely to get into an accident. Especially if you come from Niue (the only country with a worse death rate than the Dominican Republic).

      --
      excitingthingstodo.blogspot.com
    17. Re:Wrong question by fluffernutter · · Score: 1

      If AI drivers are better then most people, then why don't they just throw them in a standard driving test (for people) and see how they do?

      --
      Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
    18. Re:Wrong question by fluffernutter · · Score: 1

      Is AI better than the worst 17 year old driver? Perhaps, not yet proven
      Is AI better than the best 17 year old driver? Definitely no
      Is AI better than the worst 71 year old driver? Perhaps, not yet proven
      Is AI better than the best 71 year old driver? Definitely no
      Am I ready to be in an AI car? Definitely no
      Am I ready to be on the road trusting other AI cars driving around me? Definitely no.

      --
      Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
    19. Re:Wrong question by Cro+Magnon · · Score: 1

      Others have radically different driving cultures - where laws, speed limits signs, and common courtesy are more a 'suggestion' than a requirement.

      Those would fit right in around here.

      --
      Slow down, cowboy! It has been 4 hours since you last posted. You must wait another few hours.
    20. Re:Wrong question by dgatwood · · Score: 1

      Problem 2) You are wrong about most people not having those requirements. While most people are not a 17 year old, nor are they a 71 year old, most people HAVE a 17 year old kid or a 71 year old relative. Those that don't have a 17 year old neighbor or a 71 year old neighbor. The question is whether they want these people, who drive on the same roads as they do, to drive themselves, or to use a driverless car.

      Not just them. Add long-haul truckers to that list—people who operate on the minimum number of hours of sleep allowed by law to get goods to a particular destination on time. Self-driving trucks will also enable us to significantly reduce the number of trucks on problematic roads and during problematic times of day. For example, we could ban all large trucks on CA Highway 17. It would take longer for them to go around through Watsonville on the flat roads, but with an automated truck, that would matter a lot less. That would significantly reduce traffic accidents by removing all the vehicles that have to follow the 35 MPH truck speed limit, allowing both lanes to consistently flow at 50 MPH.

      --

      Check out my sci-fi/humor trilogy at PatriotsBooks.

    21. Re:Wrong question by Jack+Griffin · · Score: 1

      You fail to understand the nuisances of the question.

      Problem 1) Everyone THINKS they are a good/above average driver. Therefore 75% of the population doesn't want to let a car drive them.

      With you so far. And living in a free country means people should be allowed to have those opinions.

      but 50% of the population is a BELOW average driver. That means that at best, 25% of the population that are below average drivers, wrongly think they are good drivers and said they would rather drive themselves. My question was designed to make people overcome their own arrogance and think about bad drivers.

      Is being below average, whatever that actually means, enough to restrict an individual's freedom? That should be the real question.
      If we can't even force people to wear seat belts, do you think forcing them into robot cars is a viable solution?

      Problem 2) You are wrong about most people not having those requirements. While most people are not a 17 year old, nor are they a 71 year old, most people HAVE a 17 year old kid or a 71 year old relative. Those that don't have a 17 year old neighbor or a 71 year old neighbor. The question is whether they want these people, who drive on the same roads as they do, to drive themselves, or to use a driverless car.

      Well it happens right now and I don't see too many people complaining. I'd rather people have personal freedom than be forced to use robot cars just because nerds think they're cool.

    22. Re:Wrong question by Jack+Griffin · · Score: 1

      This is the most sensible use of the technology. Robot vehicles to automate otherwise menial task is workable. Personal robot transport not so much.

    23. Re:Wrong question by RockDoctor · · Score: 1
      Having driven in LHD vehicles in countries requiring both LHD and RHD, and in RHD vehicles in countries requiring both RHD and LHD, and in both types of vehicles in countries where "side of the road" is a matter of personal choice outside cities, I'm quite comfortable with learning the local style and habits as I leave the airport car-hire station.

      It's the driver's responsibility. Which all too many drivers don't want to accept. Too many drivers want other people to drive to their behaviour, not adapt their own driving behaviour to the current exigencies.

      My wife used to think that I was talking out of a hole in my head until she got into a van laden with 2.5 tonnes of furniture for a 500 mile drive. Then she discovered (and quite enjoyed) learning that driving a different type of vehicle is an interesting challenge.

      It will be interesting to see how she handles driving an automatic. She thinks I'm insane for tucking my unnecessary leg away from the pedals. But she'll learn.

      --
      Birds are not dinosaur descendants;birds are dinosaurs, for all useful meanings of "birds", "are" and "dinosaurs"
  20. End of Freedom by Lexicon · · Score: 0

    There's a fundamental difference here to the oft-repeated horse and carriage comparison; for the first time in history this will be a shift removing the fundamental freedom of travel from control of the people on board. Self driving cars are essentially rolling jail cells, which can be used to convey human cargo to the destination chosen by the establishment.

    As modern society finds new and creative ways to remove human rights, with basic freedoms of speech increasingly curtailed with family friendly excuses like 'offensive speech to others', 'hate speech', 'dangerous speech', etc.; removing the basic ability to travel to unapproved locations, and tracking precisely where every citizen is going, are logical next steps, and explains the government's quick embracing of these technologies instead of the much more cautious approach such a radical shift would justify.

    These types of technologies are curiously advocated for by otherwise smart people who fail to see they are racing the world towards a dystopian doom. There's a line between technologies that empower humans, and technologies that enslave them; and this is it.

    1. Re:End of Freedom by Roger+W+Moore · · Score: 1

      ..for the first time in history this will be a shift removing the fundamental freedom of travel from control of the people on board.

      You mean like the Docklands Light Railway? or before that the Victoria line which has been fully automated for 53 years (although it still carries drivers as a union requirement)? or the countless automatic trains between airport terminals?

      There is nothing fundamental about computer driven cars but it would be an incredibly useful technology to have.

  21. Can you blame them? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    AAA: 75% Of Drivers Say They Wouldn't Feel Safe In An Autonomous Vehicle

    Based on how unstable their devices and PCs are, can you really blame them?

    1. Re:Can you blame them? by globaljustin · · Score: 1

      Based on how unstable their devices and PCs are, can you really blame them?

      YES!

      Thank you.

      --
      Thank you Dave Raggett
  22. Re:Insurance company doesn't like self driving car by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If you've repeatedly said that then you've repeatedly shown how ignorant you are.

    First of all, AAA is not an insurance company. They are a non-profit auto club that provides services such as roadside assistance, auto warranties to assist in repair costs, great maps and to represent drivers to industry groups and congressional lobbies. It's their mission to understand what drivers want, hence this survey. Autonomous vehicles will not change their funding or demand for their services one bit.

    Neither will it change insurance companies. Insurance companies operate on a formula: if gross premiums - gross claims disbursements > 0, they profit. Regardless of any safety claims, autonomous vehicles cannot reduce accidents to 0, that is impossible. There will always be a need for insurance, and if the safety record of autonomous vehicles actually increases, decreasing claims disbursements, it'll only improve insurance company profits. Why would they want to stop that?

    Auto manufacturers will just switch over next year's model to autonomous cars, and it makes no difference to them, they'll still sell more cars. Why would they care?

    Who is left? No one gets hurt by autonomous vehicles. Your assessment of the industry is lacking in information.

  23. Finally! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    As a buggy whip manufacturer I have been looking forward to this day for a long time. Without the inconvenience of manually operating a vehicle people will turn their attention other pursuits, namely vehicular fornication. We all know nothing spices up sexytime quite like a good sturdy buggy whip ;-)

  24. Insurance, not AA/CAA/AAA, redundant by Roger+W+Moore · · Score: 1

    My car insurance already includes the important part of what AAA offers: Roadside assistance.

    Actually rather than the AA/CAA/AAA (*AA) being redundant it will surely be insurers who become unnecessary. If your car is being driven by some Google algorithm then how can you be liable for a crash? The car should probably come with insurance, at least while driven under the supplied algorithm. I would expect that the *AA will actually do better out of this because people will not get roadside assistance with their insurance and will need to purchase it separately.

    1. Re:Insurance, not AA/CAA/AAA, redundant by whoever57 · · Score: 1

      I would expect that the *AA will actually do better out of this because people will not get roadside assistance with their insurance and will need to purchase it separately.

      Why would you need to buy roadside assistance when you are buying a car *service*? It's the equivalent of someone who only uses taxis (or Uber) buying roadside assistance.

      --
      The real "Libtards" are the Libertarians!
    2. Re:Insurance, not AA/CAA/AAA, redundant by Roger+W+Moore · · Score: 1

      Why would you need to buy roadside assistance when you are buying a car *service*?

      Why would I buy a car service instead of a car? You have no guarantee of availability, no guarantee of the cleanliness of the vehicle and no guarantee of reliability. If a car service were such a great idea then why do people own cars today instead of use taxis and car rentals? Having autonomous cars does very little to change this other than replace taxi drivers with computers.

    3. Re:Insurance, not AA/CAA/AAA, redundant by whoever57 · · Score: 1

      Why would I buy a car service instead of a car?

      Because, when non-autonomous cars are banned from cities and those same cities tear down parking structures, owning your own car will become a giant, expensive problem?

      If car services compete against each other, cars will have to be available and clean. Today, when hailing a taxi, you don't get to select a taxi based on level of service.

      Lots of people living on major metropolitan areas don't have cars today.

      --
      The real "Libtards" are the Libertarians!
  25. Re:Insurance company doesn't like self driving car by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Because Car Insurance companies will lose a shit load of capital.

  26. Americans are stupid by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This is the same group of people who feel safer having a bazillion guns despite the number of gun related deaths being orders of magnitude higher than the rest of the world.

    1. Re:Americans are stupid by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Prove that. Are the number of gun related deaths in the US higher than Mexico? Or Somalia? Or Syria or Iraq?

      Don't make yourself look stupid, qualify your statement and use correct facts.

    2. Re:Americans are stupid by ceoyoyo · · Score: 1

      He did. He said "the rest of the world." That means "the world, minus the USA."

      I couldn't actually find the world average per capita gun death rate, but Wikipedia says the US is 12th of the countries they have data for. While most of the countries ahead of the US have very high rates, they don't represent a very big proportion of the world population.

      Mexico has fewer gun related deaths than the US, by the way. Other sources say Iraq is a bit worse than the US, at least in terms of homicides. No data on Somalia or Syria.

      Are you American? Does it give you pause when you point to Somalia to say "well, we're better than them!"

  27. Re: 75% of American Horse Association riders say.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Wow, clearly temper tantrums are a skill you've been practicing too! It's nice that your self worth is based on your driving skills but don't pin your immaturity on the rest of us, kiddo.

  28. Scared of things that don't exist for 1000 by OpinOnion · · Score: 1

    Pretty common for people to fear something they have no experience with, rather common human response really. Self driving cars will prove themselves over time like any other technology, polls are meaningless at this point since the technology is experimental. I'd also like to say.. why is AAA doing this poll anyway? They must know that with the tech being immature that their poll results can't be very accurate, so i guess they are just projecting the increasing acceptance of self driving cars by creating a benchmark... right. It's not that they have any fiscal interest in mechanical cars that break more, crash more and cost more. I think it's good people are skeptical, but I'm not sure what anyone would hope to get from such a poll when these cars still have years of R&D and testing before they are truly self driving in most real world situations.

  29. The problem with most people is... by _Shorty-dammit · · Score: 1

    They're only of average intelligence. Who cares what most people think? Kind of hard to argue with science.

    1. Re:The problem with most people is... by Jack+Griffin · · Score: 1

      They're only of average intelligence. Who cares what most people think? Kind of hard to argue with science.

      Actually it's quite easy, since we live in a democracy...

  30. I don't feel safe with AAA by Khyber · · Score: 1

    Seriously, these fuckers decided to send someone, only to have the fucker turn around and leave about halfway to us. Thank you AAA for leaving two people out in the desert, stranded, and having to rely upon BLM/911 for an emergency evac because your driver's shit truck can't handle a little dirt washboard road maintained by the BLM (meanwhile my low-riding Taurus had no problems on the road whatsoever, until it kicked a rock up into the transmission oil pan.)

    AAA is bullshit through and through, much like this survey.

    --
    Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
    1. Re:I don't feel safe with AAA by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      I got my F250 XLT 4x4 towed off of the old toll road which parallels the Hopland Grade on a AAA call. Came up and got me out of the dirt. Maybe you just told them the wrong things... and have no business on dirt roads with a Ford shitpile

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    2. Re:I don't feel safe with AAA by Khyber · · Score: 1

      "Maybe you just told them the wrong things."

      No, I told the guy exactly the road conditions and how to get to me (Pass two campgrounds, take the second right pathway with a sign leading to the Geode beds, stay to the right at all times and you literally run into me as my vehcle is blocking the trail in its entirety.) The driver claimed their truck couldn't make it. Meanwhile, the police squad car that popped out to aid in rescue was just as low as my Ford Taurus and had ZERO problems on that road (just like my Taurus had zero problems on the road.)

      Here's what the road looks like, THE ENTIRE WAY - http://www.desertusa.com/deser... and http://www.desertusa.com/deser...

      I could handle that shit in a lowrider.

      AAA couldn't handle something that simple

      --
      Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
    3. Re:I don't feel safe with AAA by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's amazing how often people base their opinions of large entities based on one or two experiences.

      So, AAA didn't have a good "partner"(?) out there? I'm not sure if "partner" is the right word, but they must basically contract a lot of services out. There's just too much area to cover for them to hire people full-time to only work for them.

      I've never had AAA, but they did help me out once. For the first time in about 25 years I locked my keys in my car. The cashier in the store I just left called AAA using his membership. Ten minutes later someone shows up with a slim jim and opens my car up in about 30 seconds. Yay! Didn't cost me a cent.

      So, I guess I'm impressed by them.

      And if the AAA partner that was supposed to rescue you hadn't been such a flunky, you'd probably be singing their praises.

  31. Re: 75% of American Horse Association riders say.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You bulieve in something and no amount of evidence will change that. Now, who is thinking and who is just stuck in their own beliefs?

  32. Re:Insurance company doesn't like self driving car by Khyber · · Score: 0

    "First of all, AAA is not an insurance company."

    Really? Because it sure as fuck says "Proof of Insurance: Interinsurance Exchange of the Automobile Club NAIC#: 15598" at the top of my AAA INSURANCE CARD.

    FYI, NAIC is the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.

    --
    Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
  33. Not average but individual by Roger+W+Moore · · Score: 1

    Instead the autonomous vehicle is already many crashes behind on the average human driver...

    When purchasing such a car though the question I really want to know is not whether it is better than the average human driver but whether it is better than me. Being simply "better than average" does not inspire much confidence when you see what the "average" driver is like sometimes. Is it safer than 75% of people? 90%? 99? 99.999%? etc.

    If it is only better than 75% of drivers I'm probably going to tell myself that I can drive better than it can. However if it is better than 99.999% of drivers even if I try hard I'm never really going to convince myself that I'm that good a driver. However to know to that degree of accuracy I expect that you still need higher statistics.

    1. Re:Not average but individual by wvmarle · · Score: 1

      Some 99% of accidents are caused by human error. An autonomous vehicle will be able to prevent almost all of those errors - especially those from the vehicle it controls, and will be able to correct for lots of errors from other vehicles and other traffic (e.g. pedestrians, cyclists) in the process.

      There'll always be situations that a human would have solved differently, maybe preventing an accident, and of course everyone will be talking about that one incident but not about the 100 or even 1000 incidents the autonomous vehicle did prevent (after all, those didn't happen). Those human errors of course include all those situations of speeding, missing a red light, overlooking a side street that has right of way, forgetting to look in a rear view mirror when setting off, not stopping in time, etc.

    2. Re:Not average but individual by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      When purchasing such a car though the question I really want to know is not whether it is better than the average human driver but whether it is better than me. Being simply "better than average" does not inspire much confidence when you see what the "average" driver is like sometimes. Is it safer than 75% of people? 90%? 99? 99.999%? etc.

      Maybe if you're buying the car but what about a taxi service? Would you rather ride with a human driver that has had 3 accidents in the past 10 years (about average) or an autonomous car that statistically averages 1 every 100 years. You might overrate your personally driving skills but most people regularly trust someone or something else to transport them on a fairly regular basis.

    3. Re:Not average but individual by Roger+W+Moore · · Score: 1

      Some 99% of accidents are caused by human error. An autonomous vehicle will be able to prevent almost all of those errors

      I somehow doubt this. Initially many of the vehicles on the road will be human controlled. In an autonomous vs. human driver vehicle accident it is not always going to be possible for the computer to avoid an accident if the human does something stupid. In addition it is unlikely that early autonomous vehicles will be sophisticated enough to identify erratic drivers and realize that they may be more likely to do something strange like a human river would.

      So while I think that autonomous cars will be safer than average it is still not clear to me how much safer than average they will be and until there is some hard data rather that just our suppositions people will naturally think that they are above average drivers and so therefore potentially better than the computer no matter how erroneous that conclusion is.

  34. Really they care about safety? by bloodhawk · · Score: 1

    Considering how well Trump is doing I am suprised safety ranks in the concerns of the average American at all.

    1. Re:Really they care about safety? by Spudboy2003 · · Score: 1

      Ha ha you just had to bring Trump into this :)

    2. Re:Really they care about safety? by bloodhawk · · Score: 1

      yeah I did, feel slightly dirty about that. But I was just reading a news story on his success and this seems a contradiction to a belief in personal safety.

  35. Perfectly understandable by LostMonk · · Score: 1

    Driving is all about having absolute control over your vehicle. From the minute we get behind the wheel, we're taught that a moment's loss of control is fatal (with good reason).
    For an experienced driver, surrendering that control is nightmare-inducing... For myself, the first time I used cruise control was unsettling - it felt like the car was getting out of hand - it took a while getting used to.
    Surrendering control of the brake will be harder.. let alone the wheel itself.

  36. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  37. STATISTICS by s.petry · · Score: 1

    TFA does not say that 25% feel safe, but that 75% do not. The other 25% contains undecided, and people who just don't care to answer polls as well as those who "feel" safe. The sample size is a whopping 1800 people in a specific geographic location, so you are not really getting a good sample in numbers that low. Was the criteria for the car was defined to all parties, such that it was 100% autonomous with no ability for human intervention, or partial like the Google car? Or more likely it was left open so that people could interpret the technology any way they like.

    In fact if you actually bothered to read TFA you would see that in the tiny sample used only 20% claimed to feel "safe" in an autonomous car. Welcome to being manipulated, enjoy your stay.

    What is that old quote by Mark Twain... lies.. damn lies, and statistics.

    --

    -The wise argue that there are few absolutes, the fool argues that there are no probabilities.

    1. Re:STATISTICS by rmdingler · · Score: 1
      Indeed. To be fair, most of the objective, broad spectrum polls and studies end up with much less controversial results.

      Controversy inspires debate. Clicks are money.

      --
      Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.

      Ernest Hemingway

  38. horses by Smiddi · · Score: 1

    How bad was it about 100 years ago when people had to trust their lives in mechanical vehicles instead of those trusty horses. Same logic really.

    1. Re:horses by Jack+Griffin · · Score: 1

      How bad was it about 100 years ago when people had to trust their lives in mechanical vehicles instead of those trusty horses. Same logic really.

      Yet horses still exist...

    2. Re:horses by petermgreen · · Score: 1

      Yeah, they still exist, used for some niche purposes and as toys for the rich but the internal combustion engine and electric motor now dominate.

      --
      note: i'm known as plugwash most places but i screwd up registering that here somehow in the past and now can't register
  39. Above average by edjs · · Score: 2

    Are they the same 75% of people who feel they have above average driving skills?

    1. Re:Above average by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      My guess: It's the 75% that doesn't have a college education.

  40. AAA drivers don't feel safe driving their own cars by DogDude · · Score: 2

    They don't. That's why they're AAA members! You're asking people who self-select as scared or worried drivers if they'd be worried about a new paradigm? Wow. I'm surprised that 25% *didn't* piss themselves at the thought of autonomous vehices.

    --
    I don't respond to AC's.
  41. Re: Insurance company doesn't like self driving ca by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The companies that paint the roads will be fine. The self-driving cars will have an easier time with painted lines on the road.

  42. Same thing when Elevators were Invented by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    People were scared of elevators too when they were first invented and won't go on them.

    1. Re:Same thing when Elevators were Invented by Dutch+Gun · · Score: 2

      That's because early elevators tended plummet to the ground when their cables snapped, crashing and killing people. It took Elisha Otis to invent a reliable failsafe mechanism in 1852, paving the way for the modern skyscraper.

      These days we don't even question that modern elevators are, statistically speaking, much safer than using the stairs.

      --
      Irony: Agile development has too much intertia to be abandoned now.
    2. Re:Same thing when Elevators were Invented by fluffernutter · · Score: 1

      As far as I am concerned, now that humans are wiser, we should insist on there being such failsafes in automated cars. Until they can be PROVEN 99.99% reliable similar to the way drugs are, they are too dangerous to be sold commercially. I grow concerned when people seem so excited about new tech they fail to consider the repercussions of it not being done absolutely correct.

      --
      Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
  43. Re:Insurance company doesn't like self driving car by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    I think the confusion comes in because AAA did not always offer insurance, and many people, myself included, are AAA members while not getting their car insurance through AAA. I use them for a yearly free towing emergency, International Drivers Licenses, and in bygone years to help map out vacation travel routes, although these days I've replaced that function with online map services.

  44. Deja vu by Clifton+Beach · · Score: 1

    I expect 75% of people didn't feel safe doing internet banking in 1996

    --
    42 hidden comments
  45. Unsurprising by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Drivers (especially male) never feel safe in a vehicle driven by somebody else. Their legs keep twitching and they can barely restrain themselves from grabbing the wheel. I call it drivers' neurosis.

  46. Depends by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Give me a current (or pretty much any 80s+) car with 100% autonomous driving so i can sleep while the bucket gets me from A to B or an american muscle car with 0% autonomous driving, so i can enjoy driving from one place to another.

  47. And 99% of those by A+Friendly+Troll · · Score: 2

    And 99% of those 75% would very likely subjectively classify themselves as "above average" or "excellent" drivers.

  48. Re: 75% of American Horse Association riders say.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Yes conceptually it's a little bit safer with the consequence of denying one of life's pleasures but in reality you must be naiive to believe all the hype about how safe it is with absolutely no experience. I remember just before the movie "The dark knight" was released the IMDB rating was 10/10 with tens of thousands of votes when the general public hadn't seen it. The point is (young) people are very easily led by marketers before they have any experience of the reality.

  49. Bummer by nospam007 · · Score: 1

    I guess those people prefer a Bangladeshi Taxi-driver who doesn't understand a word they're saying.

  50. I look forward to an autonomous car. by Spudboy2003 · · Score: 1

    I drive worse than a drunk Asian. This technology could save my life someday.

  51. Re: 75% of American Horse Association riders say.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Uhm. Still wrong? His point was faster reflexes aren't nearly as important as recognizing a safety issue and what to do about it as you react.

    I get that we're all super excited about new tech, and self driving cars sound pretty awesome, but there are entire industries that simply CANNOT rely on automated transportation. You might see some penetration in commuter traffic, but goods transport, towing, maintenance, police, fire, emt, ambulance, garbage trucks, equipment transport, earth moving vehicles, tow vehicles, and probably some I missed are all unlikely to be unmanned.

  52. AAA by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What are those Alcoholics Anonymous Association whining about this time...?

  53. 75% of AI researchers think AI is the best by globaljustin · · Score: 1

    Having control over one's transport is a core component of liberal (as in liberty) society.

    this is an excellent aspect to the discussion that few people articulate well, thank you

    --
    Thank you Dave Raggett
    1. Re:75% of AI researchers think AI is the best by dave420 · · Score: 1

      And has nothing to do with the discussion, but I agree it will make people feel all warm and fuzzy and awesome for being freedom warriors.

    2. Re:75% of AI researchers think AI is the best by gnupun · · Score: 1

      Really? One aspect of freedom is associated with control. Automated cars remove a lot of control from the user and moves it to some central authority. At that point, the user has to beg (to deaf ears) for any additional benefits. Can't wait for the day when your automated car refuses to go to a particular destination because some central authority deemed it so.

      If the govt./google etc. are so concerned with safety, they should provide a wider range of taxi/bus services that are heavily subsidized instead of redefining cars.

    3. Re:75% of AI researchers think AI is the best by gnupun · · Score: 1

      Facebook and other social media are used for background checks in jobs. Do you want to your (potential) employer to view every place you have visited in your car for the last 10 years? Thanks, but no thanks.

    4. Re:75% of AI researchers think AI is the best by dave420 · · Score: 1

      According to you. Automated cars, by their very definition, remove the need to turn a steering wheel, pedals, etc. That's it. Your arguments about government control over your transport apply now to non-automated cars, as the government can stop your car going wherever it wants by physically stopping you, or with newer cars and not-too-distant phone-home technology it could conceivably have your car shut off should you be nearing the "forbidden zone".

      You seem to be leaping to conclusions, and missing the point at the same time. Quite the feat.

    5. Re:75% of AI researchers think AI is the best by gnupun · · Score: 1

      Automated cars, by their very definition, remove the need to turn a steering wheel, pedals, etc.

      In the most common cases only. This tech has not even been proven and you already think the steering wheel should be removed. What a joke.

      Your arguments about government control over your transport apply now to non-automated cars, as the government can stop your car going wherever it wants by physically stopping you,

      Not true. It would a ridiculous amount of money in manpower today, so it's not practical. With automated cars, the consumer is paying for the tech to restrict/track his movement... kinda like a buying a (shiny) noose to hang yourself.

      Once you learn driving, it's a simple enough task slightly adjusting the wheel to keep the car in the lane and turning occasionally. Most people drive less than an hour or two per day. So I'm not sure what problem automated cars are supposed to solve. But if you want you can use it. I just want the freedom to avoid such cars.

    6. Re:75% of AI researchers think AI is the best by TangoMargarine · · Score: 1

      missing the point

      Copper kettle calling the pot black...

      Automatic navigation versus armed guards are in no way the same, and you claiming they are doesn't make them.

      And has nothing to do with the discussion

      Well I guess we'd all better stop arguing with dave420 if he's the sole authority on what is germane to the conversation.

      APK thinks spamming slashdot is good advertising... Definitely not for his doctor.

      And finally, why the heck would you feel the need to have such a targeted and snide signature?

      --
      Unity? Screw that: XFCE. Slashdot Beta? Screw that: SoylentNews. Australis? Screw that: Pale Moon. UX developers DIAF
    7. Re:75% of AI researchers think AI is the best by TangoMargarine · · Score: 1

      Hrm. *Pot calling the copper kettle black.

      yay for proofreading

      --
      Unity? Screw that: XFCE. Slashdot Beta? Screw that: SoylentNews. Australis? Screw that: Pale Moon. UX developers DIAF
  54. hype believers to be expected by globaljustin · · Score: 1

    Just because they don't think it is safe doesn't mean they are automatically Luddites.

    You are wrong to assume their opinions are irrational when you have no way to know.

    --
    Thank you Dave Raggett
    1. Re:hype believers to be expected by dave420 · · Score: 1

      OK, if they think something demonstrably incorrect is correct, they are delusional or ignorant, not automatically a Luddite.

    2. Re:hype believers to be expected by squiggleslash · · Score: 1

      Of course they're irrational. They've based their decision not on logic and facts, but on either a complete lack of facts, or a complete lack of logic, or both.

      Self driving cars don't exist yet. Virtually all proposals for self driving cars require that the cars be better than the vast majority of human beings before they're set loose on the world, with that requirement being tested repeatedly before we go ahead and launch them using real world accident rates.

      To assume you would be more safe in a human driven car means one of three things:

      1. You assume the driver would be better than the vast majority of human beings. That's almost certainly a delusional position, and therefore irrational.
      2. You're unaware that the requirement that the cars be proven safer exists. That's ignoring or being unaware of the facts, which again makes your position irrational.
      3. You're of the opinion that a transportation system that has less accidents than another comparable transportation system, in this case, self driving cars vs human driven cars, is less safe. That is the reverse of the facts, and thus illogical, and thus irrational.

      What's the non-irrational scenario here? I'm not seeing it.

      --
      You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
    3. Re:hype believers to be expected by Rakarra · · Score: 1

      Virtually all proposals for self driving cars require that the cars be better than the vast majority of human beings before they're set loose on the world, with that requirement being tested repeatedly before we go ahead and launch them using real world accident rates.

      We're not putting VW in charge of the testing, are we? Just curious...

    4. Re:hype believers to be expected by jenningsthecat · · Score: 1

      Good point, but I really wasn't thinking of them as Luddites - I see them more as disgruntled late adopters. I don't think I'm a Luddite at all, but I'm also wary of technological change, even though I've spent my working life repairing and designing electronics hardware that's not that far behind the bleeding edge. Knowledge and logic aren't always immediate antidotes to irrationality and discomfort with change - sometimes it just takes time.

      --
      'The Economy' is a giant Ponzi scheme whose most pitiable suckers are the youngest among us and the yet-unborn.
  55. Hype at 11 by globaljustin · · Score: 1

    "world of autonomous cars"

    from a technical, coding perspective this is absolutely irrational

    illiterate humans can do things the best AI researchers in the world cannot begin to program a computer to do: drive across town in aggressive traffic

    AI goes slow. A commenter above said they would trade 30 mph MAX for the ability to zone out during car travel...that's a rational opinion at least.

    For all the advancements in sensors and geo-spatial awareness, we still cannot begin to program algorithms that make continual life and death decisions based on interpretive cues of other human's probable behavior.

    This tech's only practical application is in long haul trucking...it's not as 'cool' or TED-talk worthy as "world of autonomous cars" but it's accurate.

    --
    Thank you Dave Raggett
    1. Re:Hype at 11 by RoboJ1M · · Score: 1

      WHAT IN THE EVER LOVING F IS GOING ON?!?!

      I thought slashdot was a tech site for tech people.

      Yet I see statements saying "AI goes slow"...

      Jesus wept...

    2. Re:Hype at 11 by dave420 · · Score: 1

      You do realise you are arguing your opinion and not facts, right? Automated cars can drive across town in aggressive traffic (and with more autonomous cars, the traffic will become less aggressive) as has been demonstrated time and time again, and AI does not "go slow". And yes, "we" can program algorithms to predict poor behavior and compensate for it. You seem to have a very high opinion of humanity (and yourself) and a staggering disregard for the large body of evidence underpinning the current state of autonomous vehicles.

    3. Re:Hype at 11 by ceoyoyo · · Score: 1

      Slashdot hasn't been a tech site for a decade. It was infested by script kiddies in 2003 and now they're all cranky middle aged political pundits.

    4. Re:Hype at 11 by globaljustin · · Score: 1

      Automated cars can drive across town in aggressive traffic

      no, they cannot

      nowhere near this has been done

      --
      Thank you Dave Raggett
  56. programmed by some dumb monkey by globaljustin · · Score: 1

    Some 99% of accidents are caused by human error.

    When AI makes the wrong decision it is still "human error".

    This whole notion that "AI" can eliminate "human error" is fundamentally erroneous.

    HUMANS PROGRAM THE COMPUTER

    If an AI's driving algorithm makes the wrong decisions, it's because it was programmed wrong, or was incorrectly tested and evaluated.

    --
    Thank you Dave Raggett
    1. Re:programmed by some dumb monkey by wvmarle · · Score: 1

      That doesn't negate the point that AI can still easily eliminate 99% of human errors (if only because those human programmers have no time pressure in making decisions on how to drive in various circumstances), and with that most accidents.

    2. Re:programmed by some dumb monkey by globaljustin · · Score: 1

      That doesn't negate the point that AI can still easily eliminate 99% of human errors

      that point is so ridiculous it doesn't need 'negating' any more than just reading it does

      AI cannot eliminate 99% of human errors and there is no rational reason for anyone to think it does.

      --
      Thank you Dave Raggett
    3. Re:programmed by some dumb monkey by fluffernutter · · Score: 1

      But the important question is, who will eliminate the AI's errors? An AI is not human, therefore it produces an entirely different set of errors. Sure, a human may misgauge the speed of their vehicle and an AI would never do that. Yet a human would be very unlikely to drive into a bus at 2mph because of fear of repercussion. Not only are we asking AI to overcome human error, but we are also asking it to overcome its own. A truly tall order. It must not be just as good as a human, it must be much better.

      --
      Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
    4. Re:programmed by some dumb monkey by globaljustin · · Score: 1

      Not only are we asking AI to overcome human error, but we are also asking it to overcome its own. A truly tall order.

      well said

      i love robotics and AI but the hype is actually hurting what should be a meteoric rise in robotics/AI in all aspects of life. It's happening, but it could be so much better

      for my money, the biggest recent advancements in robotics/AI have been in materials science and engineering, not software...we're able to make durable robots smaller and smaller which has been the design barrier more than a coding challenge

      to me, the future of robotics/AI is appliances...infinitely less than human, nowhere near sentient AI bots that have a multitude of funcitons

      Sphero's BB-8 with the gesture watch is a good example

      --
      Thank you Dave Raggett
  57. entirely agree with them and you by globaljustin · · Score: 1

    Robotics and artificial intelligence have not evolved to the point to handle driving. Not even close.

    thank you

    from a technical, coding perspective AI isn't nearly as advanced or capable as the general consumer thinks

    --
    Thank you Dave Raggett
  58. jet with no pilot by globaljustin · · Score: 1

    yeah, I bet this same 75% of people wouldn't feel safe flying in a jet airliner with no controls or pilot...stupid luddites

    --
    Thank you Dave Raggett
    1. Re:jet with no pilot by b0bby · · Score: 1

      I have been on a 747 which landed on auto-pilot. It was a harder landing than any other I can recall, hard enough to make all the oxygen masks pop out, but it was just fine. And this was back in the late 70s.
      I still want a pilot, but the autopilots could probably get you there safely for the vast majority of flights. It's the exceptional times when you want to have a Sully at the controls. And statistically, there are probably a lot more pilot error induced crashes then there are great saves like that.

    2. Re:jet with no pilot by globaljustin · · Score: 1

      Your jet had a pilot who was actively monitoring a system and could intervene at any time if the autopilot makes mistakes.

      Google and others have made cars designed for no occupant to have any of that control.

      --
      Thank you Dave Raggett
  59. Re: 75% of American Horse Association riders say.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You've just outlined why autonmous cars are good. Most people aren't trained and have to rely on reaction time. Teenagers have high reaction time but teenagers also take a lot of risks. Autonmous cars would have BOTH, employing both safe driving practices and instantaneous reaction times. Humans get tired, old, impaired, need fuel, get distracted (face it many people still try to get away with drunk/texting while driving). I'm sure in time autonmous cars will get better, hell survey after survey, humans believe themselves to the the best drivers until they get into an accident. Driving has never been a right, though I do enjoy driving sometimes. But let's be reasonable here all the problems outlined with autonmous cars are the same with humans. Humans will never be able to react faster than a computer and will always have blind spots.

  60. Re: 75% of American Horse Association riders say.. by RoboJ1M · · Score: 1

    So, a tiny fraction of what roads are used for then...
    And no, goods transport will be automated.

    Fact of the matter is a computer will always be better an a monitoring duty than a human.
    END of discussion.

  61. I am in the 25% by aepervius · · Score: 1

    I have to deal with asshole driver on the road, so after a few accidents, a truck pushing on the side, a car barreling from my left burning my right of way, 1 with a stop, 2 incidents of cars burning a red light because, "who cares it is night and what are the odds of somebody else on the intersection-----woooops". That's over 30 years. I have 2 sets of scars one on my hand one on my head, the rest I only got bruises. And that's pretty much enough to tell all driver to fuck off I would feel much better in an autonomous car, or if the other driver were forced into one. I am betting the 75% think they are "good" driver, you know the type, the one which decide which speed they can go and think speed limitation are speed trap (they are not if you respect the speed no matter how you feel DUH), or the one which think at night they can go much quicker even in city, despite the lower visibility and distance sight. The one which should be FORCED to get an autonomous car because in reality they are crappy drivers.

    --
    C. Sagan : A demon haunted world:
    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345409469/
    visit randi.org
  62. 75% of current drivers say they wouldn't feel safe by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    well 75% of merkin drivers aren't safe in any vehicle but are probably safer in an autonomous vehicle. The other 25% are really dumb shits and ride Harleys by choice.

  63. Re:AAA drivers don't feel safe driving their own c by drinkypoo · · Score: 2

    I'm a AAA member because I tend to drive beaters. I'm a plus member because I live in the sticks. I don't have AAA insurance because I'm not old yet (only seniors get halfway-decent rates from them, in spite of all their medicated driving) and because AAA is the insurance company you hope the other guy has, not you.

    --
    "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  64. Knowledge trumps statistics by itsdapead · · Score: 1

    Tesla has deployed a total of about 100,000 cars. For reference, AAA membership is 54,000,000 .

    I'll take anecdotes from 100 people who actually have some relevant experience over survey results from 54 million people who don't.

    --
    In a survey of 100 programmers, 111111 thought that duck-typing was a good idea.
  65. In other news... by Torp · · Score: 2

    75% of drivers think they're in the top 10% of driving skills.

    What worries me though is that no one mentions the famous Google self driving cars will only work in the small areas that they have pre mapped and pre recorded routes for. Self driving is just a marketing term for now.

    --
    I apologize for the lack of a signature.
  66. People do not like change by houghi · · Score: 2

    People do not like change, unless they initiate it themselves.

    News at 11.

    There is a huge difference between "who wants change" and "who wants to change".

    --
    Don't fight for your country, if your country does not fight for you.
  67. It should be 100% of people by DrXym · · Score: 1
    Human drivers aren't perfect but they can solve problems which are intractible to computers. Problems that they encounter every single day. I'm sure in most cases, the computer would just do something stupid and slow to a crawl, or block traffic. But there may be times where it does something downright dangerous and putting the occupant at risk.

    The most sensible solution would be for car manufacturers to stop peddling the autonomous vehicle snake oil and instead put systems into vehicles which provide emergency braking, collision avoidance, skid control, fuel management (based on route etc.), parallel park, cruise / distance / lane tracking etc. into cars. Things that allow the humans to drive but provide benefit and safety to the experience.

    1. Re:It should be 100% of people by fluffernutter · · Score: 1

      Problems like.. oh there is a sand bag in this double lane that I shouldn't be in, hey (look to the left) that bus is kind of close. I'm just going to stop and wait for it to pass.

      --
      Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
  68. We asked this at the hackerspace/phrased wrong by Leslie43 · · Score: 2

    We had this discussion at the local hackerspace and got only slightly better results, which I thought was surprising for people who thrive on technology.

    However... When it was rephrased as: "If you could have an automous car, but it could only go 45mph and use special lanes in autonomous mode, would you want it?" Suddenly the numbers shot way up. Seems many don't trust mixing humans and autonomous, especially at high speed. As people starting thinking of the benefits to this, even at slower speeds, the numbers went up and up until all but the most staunch opponents were left and even they wavered.

    This is not far off from how cars got accepted as well.
    Automakers started pushing the idea that streets were meant for cars, not foot traffic or horses (look up the origins of jaywalking), once the public was convinced, it went from there. The same can very easily happen with autonomous vehicles.

    1. Re:We asked this at the hackerspace/phrased wrong by fluffernutter · · Score: 1

      From what I see, AI is still producing different results than humans do. When a chess master plays an AI he needs to change his game completely in order to anticipate what an AI would do as opposed to what a human would do. When you're driving in an autonomous car, there is no 'changing the game' because you're not driving. Other people on the road can't be expected to 'change the game' so to speak, so it stands to reason the most difficult thing for AI will be to make it mesh with human expectations.

      --
      Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
  69. I don't feel safe around 75% of other drivers. by sabbede · · Score: 1

    They aren't very good at it. I'd be much more comfortable knowing that a computer, not some idiot who won't put their phone down, is in charge of all that momentum. What is it, 3 to 6*10^5 Joules? Trying to cross 4 lanes of traffic in a couple hundred feet because they were too busy texting to realize they were about to pass their exit? No thanks, put a computer in charge.

  70. With increased technology comes increased power by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    For good or evil, new technology functions equally well.

    how about we ask other questions that may come with autonomous vehicles such as:

    Would you feel safe riding in an autonomous vehicle that lacks security and is infested with malware?

    Would you feel safe in a vehicle that completely shuts down in an emergency like a winter storm or a catastrophic complete road blockage and won't even try to drive you to safety?

    How many years after autonomous cars are released before it turns suicidal terrorists into repeat offenders?

    How many years will it be after autonomous cars gain popularity that a single hack causes more than one thousand humans to die?

  71. Not only that by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Not only would I not feel safe riding in a self-driving vehicle, I wouldn't feel safe driving with one nearby. They'll probably be better than most humans, but I've worked too long in the tech industry to put that much trust in software.

  72. Wow...how's that compare to... by PortHaven · · Score: 1

    The 85% who don't feel safe on the roads in manual driving?

  73. In related news... by cdrudge · · Score: 2

    In related news, a ABA (American Buggy Association) survey conducted soon after motorized buggies first started appearing showed that 75% of riders wouldn't feel safe riding in a buggy powered by an internal combustion engine.

    You'd have to be crazy to deliberately sit on a device that was violently exploding thousands of times a minute. Why on earth would you want to put your self in such danger and get rid of the tried-and-true reliable horse?

  74. The free market can fix this too by zerofoo · · Score: 1

    Two words: Insurance Rates

    I suspect, if autonomous cars really do eliminate driver error as a cause of accidents, insurance companies will respond.

    You want to drive a non-autonomous car? Fine - go right ahead, but your increased risk relative to your autonomous auto peers means your auto insurance will cost $5000 a year.

    I say we let the free market sort this out.

    1. Re:The free market can fix this too by fluffernutter · · Score: 1

      There shouldn't be any personal insurance required for an autonomous car. If they are that unreliable, then they're failing the goal of being autonomous.

      --
      Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
  75. Have yet to prove they are safer by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I think its premature to think self driving vehicles will be safer. You have the goal of being better then the driver, but we also know that technology can have a set of its own issues. From computer glitches, bad GPS locating, hackers, and just plain bad programming of the vehicle. As we saw with Google own vehicle, it cannot decide what to do with sandbags as a obstacle. I think we are a long way off in proving this concept not only can work but also make the roads safer. Even in aircraft and trains the auto pilots have proven to be less then optimal in some situations. So far I think the general public has yet to see much proof that self driving vehicles are trustworthy. Computers are also flawed because in the end they are programmed by humans.

  76. pilots on autopilot by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Even modern airline pilots don't like the idea of not having overrides on their planes.

    You should not draw deep conclusions from people that have a financial interest in their opinions. Of course pilots don't think they should be replaced with software. That doesn't really say anything out the merits of the idea.

    Or they know that there are situations where you may have to be creative:

    * https://jethead.wordpress.com/2014/12/13/flying-a-jet-in-the-los-angeles-storms-december-12-2014/

    1. Re:pilots on autopilot by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Even modern airline pilots don't like the idea of not having overrides on their planes.

      You should not draw deep conclusions from people that have a financial interest in their opinions. Of course pilots don't think they should be replaced with software. That doesn't really say anything out the merits of the idea.

      Or they know that there are situations where you may have to be creative:

      * https://jethead.wordpress.com/2014/12/13/flying-a-jet-in-the-los-angeles-storms-december-12-2014/

      See also:

      The autopilot is a tool, along with many other tools available to the crew. You still need to tell it what to do, how to do it, and when to do it. I prefer the term autoflight system. It’s a collection of several different functions controlling speed, thrust, and both horizontal and vertical navigation—together or separately, and all of it requiring regular crew inputs to work properly. On the jet I fly, I can set up an automatic climb or descent any of about seven different ways, depending what’s needed.

      * http://www.askthepilot.com/cockpit-claptrap/

  77. Meh, airliners autoland frequently.. by TigerPlish · · Score: 1

    I trust my life to automated landing systems every time I fly in an airliner. This is decades-old tech now.

    I'm all for a self-driving, car, really. And, for the record, I am a petrosexual, the scream of a v-12 or a wankel rotary is the best song there is. Sings like Sinatra, drinks like Deano!

    The sad reality is that most drivers are ill-equipped to drive. Let them be shuttled around in their little autodriving cocoons.

    What I would like is a hybrid system -- I will take full control and responsibility while the road is open, winding and plain old fun, but I will let Otto have it when the road is grid-like and traffic snail-like.

    Best of both worlds! This isn't about retaining control, it's about enjoying the drive, a concept non-petrosexuals cannot and will not understand. Driving can be fun! That's why little underpowered sports cars are made! That's why little overpowered sports cars are made! Sadly, most people cannot even begin to comprehend the joys of driving.

    As for driver aids, I'm all for it. Driver aids will help all, including myself. I will admit to nearly departing my lane while gawking at an interesting car to my left. I will admit being caught off-guard and braking at the very last moment. I will admit to starting a lane change without spending two seconds to look in the mirror to see if there's someone in my mirrors * Shit happens. Most crashes are pilot error, both up there, and down here!

    * I firmly believe there is no such thing as blind spots, not when the seat and mirrors are properly set up. This is non-negotiable, it is trigonometry. A properly set-up car has no blind spots. But that won't help if the driver doesn't look in the goddamned mirrors in the first place. That's why I begrudgingly welcome driver aids.

    --
    The "Civilized World" jumped the shark ca. 1973.
    1. Re:Meh, airliners autoland frequently.. by fluffernutter · · Score: 1

      Automated landing is complicated, yes, but it has far less variables than driving in city traffic.

      --
      Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
    2. Re:Meh, airliners autoland frequently.. by Areyoukiddingme · · Score: 1

      I firmly believe there is no such thing as blind spots, not when the seat and mirrors are properly set up.

      Say rather there are no rear blind spots. Oddly enough, there are still two blind spots left. Your roof posts on either side of your front windshield.

    3. Re:Meh, airliners autoland frequently.. by TigerPlish · · Score: 1

      Say rather there are no rear blind spots. Oddly enough, there are still two blind spots left. Your roof posts on either side of your front windshield.

      Your point is a valid one, but IMO, one would have to be an anorexic witch doing a tail-stand on a broom to hide in the shadow of A-pillar and C-pillar. Even motorbikes and bicycles are visible in those areas on my mini - and that car has really fat pillars.

      Still, be vigilant and don't take anything for granted. Look twice.

      --
      The "Civilized World" jumped the shark ca. 1973.
  78. 75% of Flyers Say They Wouldn't Feel Safe with... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Autopilot

  79. This is actually pretty good by jbmartin6 · · Score: 2

    Considering 100% of humans are at least in part scared of anything new. 25% acceptance years before this technology is ready is pretty good.

    --
    This posting is provided 'AS IS' without warranty of any kind, implied or otherwise.
  80. Re:AAA drivers don't feel safe driving their own c by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I repair my own vehicles. I'm cheap so I buy cars already past their last legs and get them running again. Sometimes the repairs don't hold. Then I call CAA, have the car towed home, and fix up what failed. No, regular maintenance doesn't tell you that your starter solenoid is going to fail tomorrow, and it won't tell you that the fuel pump is tired of living.

    I suppose I've self-selected as "worried about my 15+ year old piece of shit breaking down" but I sure as hell am not scared of any sort of car. I just know that when a car is old and worn out passing safety only means the car is safe to drive when it actually will drive. Cue the joke about how you can pass a car without an engine or windshield so long as you wear a helmet.

  81. safety by fluffernutter · · Score: 1

    I think it's really stupid to be asking these questions of people when they aren't even close to being world use yet. First let's make them work in every situation, in every climate in the world, and demonstrate that they are flawless, then release them commercially, then people will come around.

    As the technology is right now, they are a long way from safe, people just call things as they see it.

    --
    Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
  82. 100% of those who work as drivers don't feel safe by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The autonomous car exists only to put people out of work.

    Safety concerns are secondary. If even on the map.

  83. Ignorance by fluffernutter · · Score: 1

    When I read these threads on autonomous vehicles, I see a staggering amount of ignorance on just how brilliant the human mind is. There are so many subtle yet powerful thoughts that guide our actions when driving that people don't even realize.

    --
    Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
  84. Re: 75% of American Horse Association riders say.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Yes conceptually it's a little bit safer with the consequence of denying one of life's pleasures but in reality you must be naiive to believe all the hype about how safe it is with absolutely no experience. I remember just before the movie "The dark knight" was released the IMDB rating was 10/10 with tens of thousands of votes when the general public hadn't seen it. The point is (young) people are very easily led by marketers before they have any experience of the reality.

    It's not just conceptually, it's basic facts. Drivers make about two incorrect decisions per mile, which averages 48 incorrect decisions per day, per driver. If a computer can cut this in half then we are way ahead.

  85. Re: 75% of American Horse Association riders say.. by TangoMargarine · · Score: 1

    If you were a programmer you'd understand why we don't have that much trust in computers.

    --
    Unity? Screw that: XFCE. Slashdot Beta? Screw that: SoylentNews. Australis? Screw that: Pale Moon. UX developers DIAF
  86. Re: 75% of American Horse Association riders say.. by hawguy · · Score: 1

    Pull a trailer and get back to me.

    You mean like this?

    http://www.gizmag.com/daimlers...

  87. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 1

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  88. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 1

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    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  90. Re: 75% of American Horse Association riders say.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Driving is a right, you slope headed, slack-jawed idiot. It's not an enumerated right but it is the right to be competitive in an economy where most people drive, and to travel throughout the county unimpeded. The right is only taken away when the courts go through due process, just like other rights, such as the right to liberty, the right to own firearms, or even the right to life.

    As a society, we have developed the idea that some basic competency must be demonstrated in order to drive on public roads. I don't think it goes far enough, but just try and increase the required level of training, or implement mandatory vehicle inspections, and watch the poor folks come out and talk about their rights.

  91. Survey Sample Demographics? by ryan1028 · · Score: 1

    If the AAA surveyed it's members and did nothing to control for age of respondents, I am guessing that the results overemphasize the opinions of drivers over the age of 50. When I visit my local AAA office most of the customers look like they're over 50. From my experiences, it appears that older people are slower to embrace change and new technology. However, blind spot detection, parking assist, rear view cameras and lane departure warnings are all things that help older drivers to a great extent due to their slowing reaction time and decreasing general awareness.

  92. hype to move goalposts by globaljustin · · Score: 1

    Virtually all proposals for self driving cars require that the cars be better than the vast majority of human beings before they're set loose on the world

    moving goalposts

    'better than human' is such a nebulous concept, if $Billions$ are on the line, Google will fudge a bit on "better than human"

    throughout history, corporations have behaved this way and any suggestion otherwise is rejected

    example: a Google AI car goes way too slow during agressive rush-hour and stops randomly because it is being too 'careful' causing drivers to rear-end the AI Google car...Google puts that as the fault of the "human driver" in their statistics, but from a coding perspective the problem is with Google's AI....however because of how accident liability works, most rear-end situations are legally the fault of the car behind, no matter how irrationally the car in front is driving

    it's recorded as "human error" but clearly the problem is with the coding of the AI

    this is exactly how Google will do the "as good as a human" paradigm and will cheat it if they have to

    --
    Thank you Dave Raggett
  93. Re: 75% of American Horse Association riders say.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If 30,000 people died per annum in aircraft related incidents, we would never hear the end of it, but this is acceptable of driving in the US. What is the rate for aircraft deaths? Something like 2-3k for the whole frigging world? How many billions of dollars in externalities just from deaths alone could be mitigated if we had better licensing and qualification of drivers?

    How many tens of billions of dollars would be saved from mere injuries, insurance and repair costs if the non fatal crash rate went down just ten percent? The economic costs from our current scheme are staggering because the scale is staggering, and that doesn't count the social costs of all the little Sues and Billys in the country losing a parent on their daily commute.

    If we took one tenth of the money we all pay in insurance and applied it toward mandatory driver training, testing, inspection and licensure, we would be all the better for it.

  94. Only Drivers? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I, as a programmer (and precisely because of that), wouldn't either.

  95. Performance by dasgoober · · Score: 1

    Also, car mfrs will have to lean more on status/looks to sell performance brands, since the performance will be limited by the AI.

  96. Conversely by bigdavex · · Score: 1

    81% of robot cars felt unsafe with human drivers.

    --
    -Dave
  97. Unpredictable failure modes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I wouldn't feel safe either.

    Look at my computer, for example. It crashes periodically and unpredictably. Microsoft Word may for example, be working fine one moment, and then crash the next, with no prior indication that it will do so. This may arise when I'm opening an unusual file, or doing an odd sequence of things at once. And this happens all the more with web browsers, as they struggle to cope with web sites which are incompatible with a defined set of standards.

    Why would an autonomous car be any different? It may crash less frequently than my computer, and it may crash less frequently than me, but what makes me feel unsafe is the likely absence of any indicator that it is about to fail until it does.

  98. You Racist Fucker! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Also, would you feel safer in a NYC cab driven by an immigrant or in a driverless car.

    You racist fucker! If you ever get into my cab I will beat you with my sandal like the imperialist dog that you are.

  99. insurance will force this by MooseTick · · Score: 1

    "driving your own car will be a novelty that only a few holdouts like you will want"

    This will eventually become a matter of practicality and insurance. If autonomous cars can go 100M miles/accident and humans average 2.3M miles/accident, then insurance for autonomous cars will be nearly nothing and insurance for manually driven cars will be $5000 a month if you can even find a company to insure you.

    I don't know if/when autonomous will reach that level, but I feel there is a good chance they will be better than humans. They can see better, have much better reflexes, are never distracted, can communicate with the vehicle to know how good the brakes/tires/etc are, can communicate with other autonomous vehicles, and more.

    1. Re:insurance will force this by Dcnjoe60 · · Score: 1

      This will eventually become a matter of practicality and insurance. If autonomous cars can go 100M miles/accident and humans average 2.3M miles/accident, then insurance for autonomous cars will be nearly nothing and insurance for manually driven cars will be $5000 a month if you can even find a company to insure you.

      I don't know if/when autonomous will reach that level, but I feel there is a good chance they will be better than humans. They can see better, have much better reflexes, are never distracted, can communicate with the vehicle to know how good the brakes/tires/etc are, can communicate with other autonomous vehicles, and more.

      Average accident rate for passenger vehicles in 2012 was 6.75 per million miles driven. Average fatality rate was 1.27 per 100 million miles driven. Of the first number 60% were caused by distracted drivers, 20% of which were teenagers. Of those 60%, 1/2 of the accidents were where the driver was using a cell phone or other electronic device while driving. Of the 1.27 per 100 million figure excessive speed was involved in over 60% of them. In both sets, weather was a factor in just over 1/2 of the accidents.

      Still, to make a significant dent in either the overall accident rate or the fatality rate, autonomous vehicles will need to be used by the majority of individuals. Then there is the cost benefit. Yes, insurance will probably be cheaper, but probably not as much as you would thing because there are still many ways for an autonomous vehicle to be involved in an accident and repair cost will probably be significantly higher. So, if an AV is $60,000 and insurance is $600 every six months, while a regular vehicle is $28,000 and insurance is $1,000 every six month. The cost per year including purchase price still favors the regular vehicle.

      Think of it like buying a hybrid. Yes, they save on fuel costs, but if it take 10 years to break even on the cost differential and you don't plan to keep the car that long, then you lose money. Even if you do keep it that long, you only break even. Now, substitute AV for hybrid and cost of insurance for fuel cost and you get the idea. That's not to say it's not worthwhile to do it. Maybe you want to save the environment so you are willing to pay more for a hybrid. That's fine. Likewise, maybe you feel safer in the AV, so you buy it. That's fine, too. Just don't try and use cost savings as the justification, because it is unlikely to be the case.

  100. Re: 75% of American Horse Association riders say.. by MooseTick · · Score: 1

    "If 30,000 people died per annum in aircraft related incidents, we would never hear the end of it"

    yet we constantly hear that over half of all aircraft incidents are due to pilot error. Maybe testing every 3 years isn't enough. Let's do it bi-weekly.

  101. Re: 75% of American Horse Association riders say.. by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

    You have a computer monitor your toddler?

    That's different? I guess it's not 'END of discussion' is it? Perhaps if you yell END a few more times.

    It will take strong AI to make a real self driving car. We don't even know where to start.

    Have a computer correctly identify 'children's toys' from images 100% of the time. Now make the computer not throw false positives for blowing grocery bags etc.

    --
    John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
  102. Re: 75% of American Horse Association riders say.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    People like you are the reason libertarians exist

  103. Count me amongst the trust-challenged by gordguide · · Score: 1

    I get it that for some people, possibly even the vast majority of people, driving is drudgery and a burden.

    I am not one of those people. I like to operate machinery (which is what driving is) and regardless of whether it's a classic or modern car, a sports car, a truck of almost any size (I don't operate tractor-trailer rigs, but 3-axle trucks, buses, light trucks are fair game) or Skid-Steer, a Loader, a Skidder, a 4-wheeler, a snowmobile, a boat of almost any size and power appropriate for fresh water use, light aircraft ... I'm sure there's something I'm missing from the list, but you get the idea I'm sure.

    I don't like being a passenger in the first place; I almost never can sleep in a vehicle if someone else is driving, and that includes operators I trust. Obviously everyone feels the same as I when it comes to my driving skill, but I really am a good, courteous driver with thousands of hours operating vehicles other than road-going units, let alone on public highways. Zero at-fault accidents over 40 years driving on public roads, and probably dozens of examples where I've driven out of danger (versus freezing and driving right into it) with no injuries to anyone although I don't fear sacrificing the vehicle to save injury or death.

    To me a self-driving car involves two areas of anxiety ... one, I don't trust the thing in the first place, and two, I'm being robbed of an activity I enjoy, which makes objection #1 moot, as things turn out.

  104. In perspective... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ... I don't feel safe as a passenger with 75% of people I know behind the wheel. As a whole, humans are terrible drivers.

  105. Safer? by Narcogen · · Score: 1

    I would feel safer in almost any autonomous vehicle than one driven by 75% of the drivers in the US.

  106. Re:AAA drivers don't feel safe driving their own c by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I just very briefly reviewed their site. A basic membership is $75 per year. If I need to get towed once a year, it probably would pay for itself. I really don't know how much a tow is these days - I haven't had to pay for one in about 20 years.

    Sure, I can change my own tires if they go flat but some folks aren't comfortable doing that. Also, a few years back I had 3 flats at once. I only have one spare tire. Freak event, but for $6.25 a month I could just sit around and let someone else deal with it.

    I have jumper cables and know how to jump-start my car, but I've been stuck trying to find someone available to give me a boost.

    And it says they'll even delivery a battery and install it. I changed my own battery a few years back, which is not that impressive until I tell you the battery is inside the fender and you have to take the wheel off first. What a royal pain in the ass and I always get paranoid working on a car up on a jack. It's not really hard, but a lot of people would just say "Fuck it, I'm getting someone else to do this for me even if I have to pay for it."

    It covers stupidity too....lock your keys in your car? Run out of gas?

    There were other benefits as well including car rentals under certain circumstances. I actually thought it would be more expensive than it is.

    I don't have AAA but I can understand why some people do.

  107. But what about the passengers? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    How many % of passengers feel save being driven by those drivers?

  108. Power = Control by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    75% of humans have losing control. Cars have been one of the most influential technology that has give humans freedom/mobility.

    Duh. Study is preaching to the choir.

    Humans love power and power corrupts.

  109. by an odd coincidence by gzuckier · · Score: 1

    artificial intelligences wouldn't feel safe driving with 75% of human drivers. me neither.

    --
    Star Trek transporters are just 3d printers.
  110. Oh the convenience! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If you are under the influence, falling asleep, using your phone, etc. , let "Jerry" your automatic car take the wheel.
    Of course you would have to pay for an "Automatic Car" insurance in case Jerry makes a mistake. Did you forget to update Jerry, they you are to blame.
    Did you permit automatic updates? Jerry starts to sell you stuff, including his latest upgrade.
    You could also come to in the wrong town if there are any mapping errors . . nah, that never happens.

  111. The comparison to robotic cards is BS. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The robotic surgery cannot be compared to autonomous cars because, with surgery there is usually only one life involved (patient) but with autonomous cars, there are multiple lives involved in the form of other cars and drivers on the road. This is a stupid comparison.

  112. Re: 75% of American Horse Association riders say.. by Martin+Blank · · Score: 1

    We actually get tested every two years (biennial flight review), unless in the WINGS program for ongoing education which does require some practical exercises with a flight instructor.

    --
    You can never go home again... but I guess you can shop there.
  113. A self driving car? Yes and no by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I like driving. I have always owned standard transmission cars and trucks. I like driving long distances. So from that side, I wouldn't care much for a self driving vehicle. But I can also see where I would be interested in a self driving vehicle - when I have things I want to work on while going somewhere, say to a meeting. It would also be nice to be able to turn over driving responsibilities to the robot when we are driving through interesting scenery, or going through the wastelands of middle America, where it would be more interesting to read a book or play a computer game than to watch the freeway and flat, boring countryside while trying to stay awake and attentive.

  114. Missing the point by Roger+W+Moore · · Score: 1

    You are missing the point. I'm not saying that a computer will not be a better driver on average than a human what I am saying is that it will not be a perfect driver either because it was programmed by a human. Therefore when the rare occasion occurs when the computer does something stupid I want manual controls so I can take over. I do not want to be sitting their helpless cursing some nameless programmer with my last breath because the car has suddenly switched to British locale and now thinks it has to drive on the left hand side of the road!

    1. Re:Missing the point by stoborrobots · · Score: 1

      Therefore when the rare occasion occurs when the computer does something stupid I want manual controls so I can take over. I do not want to be sitting their helpless cursing some nameless programmer with my last breath because the car has suddenly switched to British locale and now thinks it has to drive on the left hand side of the road!

      But you're okay with sitting there helplessly cursing when your friend in the driver's seat has a delusion, grabs the manual controls and swerves into traffic to avoid a non-existent obstacle?

      It sounds like what you really want is an off switch. In an emergency, bring the car to a stop, regardless of what the computer thinks. No need for manual controls, just a safe stopping mechanism.

    2. Re:Missing the point by Roger+W+Moore · · Score: 1

      But you're okay with sitting there helplessly cursing when your friend in the driver's seat has a delusion, grabs the manual controls and swerves into traffic to avoid a non-existent obstacle?

      In that situation there are manual controls available in the vehicle and I can either grab them and try to swerve out of trouble or fight off my friend. This is also a highly unlikely scenario and I doubt it occurs often while a computer doing something crazy is a far more plausible scenario given that we have not tested any computer program to the degree that we have tested the human brain. That's not to say that we will not get there just that we are not yet there.

      It sounds like what you really want is an off switch.

      No, when barreling down a motorway at 120km/h the last thing I want is for the computer to slam on the brakes and bring the car to an immediate stop in the middle of a lane. I want controls that will let me take over from the computer whenever I deem it necessary. Once we have a few decades of widespread usage and some high degree of confidence that it can handle unpredicted "5+ sigma" deviations from normal traffic then we can look at dropping the manual controls but not before.

  115. Re: 75% of American Horse Association riders say.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You are behind the times. Planes and trains have used autopilots for years.

    As for me, I don't trust 75% of the other drivers.

  116. More Hype at 11 by globaljustin · · Score: 1

    I thought slashdot was a tech site for tech people.

    Yet I see statements saying "AI goes slow"...

    You see statements criticizing AI hype **because** this is a tech site for tech people.

    If you want air-headed, brainless hype coverage of AI, go to mainstream media.

    --
    Thank you Dave Raggett
  117. let's go for a drive in the rain by globaljustin · · Score: 1

    if they think something demonstrably incorrect is correct, they are delusional or ignorant

    you said it not me...

    AI is not anywhere near capable of what you seem to think

    they haven't even scratched the surface of several problems as well...besides the incapable AI, the won't work at all in the rain

    --
    Thank you Dave Raggett
  118. cancel your AAA membership by BeeArt · · Score: 1

    get some liquid courage and enlist with the AA
    One A less, no more fear and meet interesting people!