Self-Driving Cars

[MannyE]

I would love to get stats on the demographics of the answers. I have been surprised by the results of those studies often enough that I think the results might be interesting. Or they could be what we all think they are. But they might not be!

For the record, I'm 51 and voted yes because "hell yes" wasn't an option.

 

[parvo]

Would i trust a robot to take my kids to school??????

 

[nj pheonix]

Would you trust the kid next door smoking a joint, vaping and texting?

 

[nj pheonix]

I was in a Tesla Saturday that did drive itself. I was strictly in the no camp. I do like the option. I was most impressed with the ability of the car. I still want to drive. I like the fact that the car can

 

[UncleBingo]

I 'd like to see an automatic driving car be a condition of release for drunk drivers as of a 2nd occurrence of the offense.

Also after distracted driving offenses involving holding a cel phone while driving. I see multiple people staring at their phones while driving every day lately.

 

[s-petersen]

Unfortunately according to some reviews, you need to take your eyes off the road to operate some features on the center screen, of Tesla's newest vehicle, until possibly some software update.

 

[MannyE]

Would you trust the kid next door smoking a joint, vaping and texting?

If your kids take a bus to school then chances are that's exactly what you are doing.

 

[Phil-from-Tn]

No Thanks,

For the Daily Drive and a 1961 Falcon for weekend fun...

 

[loopstick]

When I lived in NYC I liked the fact that you could get high and take the subway to go see a concert. As opposed to the risk of driving a car. I get the concept. OTOH a self driving car is a different animal. The current state and likely future state of the technology is too shaky to be anything other than a high risk buzzkill.

 

[+48V]

When I lived in NYC I liked the fact that you could get high and take the subway to go see a concert. As opposed to the risk of driving a car. I get the concept. OTOH a self driving car is a different animal. The current state and likely future state of the technology is too shaky to be anything other than a high risk buzzkill.

Ah possibilities indeed. I get your reservations. OTOH, I can't help believe that your sense of adventure and the future of transportation is stymied. Not a bad thing per se, just my take on such a curmudgeonesque stance. Same can be said about my Pollyanna attitude on the subject.

Think about bringing the killer (NPI) convenience and consumer economy of NYC trains to step n' fetch Kansas and shit n' piss Texas.

Yer likely future glass is 3/4 empty.

Mine is 3/4 full.

C'est la vie.

 

[loopstick]

The electro-mechanical and optical hardware is pretty straightforward and mature. And you could probably fit all the required software onto a 16-bit uP. You can visually monitor your environment and you can control the hardware. You have replaced the eyes, the hands on the wheel, and the foot on the pedal. All that's missing is the brain. We're either gonna have to reverse-engineer the brain, or design an equivalent.

 

[mashaffer]

I would get me a horse before I get in some self driving machine.

 

[WhiteNoize]

I like driving as much as the next guy but I would own a Tesla with auto pilot in a heartbeat if I had an extra $38k kicking around. I drive 96 miles round trip to work and back 5 days a week. Auto Pilot would allow me to relax a bit more during that drive.

That said I'm not for those cars taking over. I like driving my 65 Ford and riding my 08 Harley. I love old classic trucks and cars and will always own 'em.

 

[twiiii]

I'd rather take a train.

 

[garyush]

With all this talk of “autonomous vehicles “, I have never heard this question being raised or maybe I missed it. But how do you insure one of these things? Based on driving record or who’s at fault in accident if one is not driving the vehicle. Is your fault, the car makers fault, or the manufacturer of the O/S. Can you sue the other driver?

 

[ETLS]

Sue the deepest pockets.

 

[nj pheonix]

Goes back to any law suite. You sue everybody and let the court figure out who is responsible.
You'd think insurance rate would be flat for everyone (assuming there's no override feature)

 

[Djcoolray]

As I get older and think about when I loose my license, a self driving car makes sense......but not on the highway !

 

[KarlK]

Voted no. I just like driving. This could change as I age. We'll see.

My story is not really about a 100% self-driving vehicle but it had so many autonomous functions that it almost felt like it had a mind of its own. and a sound one at that. Like you I enjoy driving too and until a month ago when I rented a spanking new (new like in "just rolled off the assembly line" or so it felt like) 2020 Toyota Corolla my opinion was that cars with so many driving aids were meant mostly for disabled drivers.Well! After overcoming my initial disappointment at being stuck with a smaller car than the model I had made a reservation for (a 2019 Camry, but the rental company messed up) I discovered that the innovative Corolla came with many useful features that considerably freed the driver from often annoying maneuvering one would often prefer not having to deal with on long trips. First thing I noticed was that the unexpectedly large LCD display was of unusually good quality and more intuitive than any other I was familiar with.

Picture quality was stunningly clear and crisp, like on a high-end desktop monitor's, functions were displayed by order of usefulness: closest to me were the bluetooth/USB phone features, then next to it was the audio system that could be controlled either directly via the touchscreen or from the steering wheel (as was the phone system) then further away but still very legible were the vehicle monitoring/backup cam/weather gauges, obstacle detector for night or bad weather driving, plus some more esoteric data I didn't have the time to figure what it was for. To top it off the display panel swiveled and angled slightly towards me if so desired, which was greatly appreciated. It also slid up and down on an approximately 4-inch long rail with lock-down mechanism. The cruise-control/collision avoidance combo system had a tendency to slow down and/or brake a little earlier than I usually do in my own car, and that feature is not adjustable, but I could live with that. Lane-change systems and blind-angle detectors did what was expected of them, no complains from me. When I asked the clerk upon returning the car if this was Toyota's high-end offering for the Corolla she said no, it's standard-issue for 2020. I have to say this is the best driving-assist system I have ever seen in a sub-$30,000 car. It's better than my SUV's which costs almost twice that and is less than 2 years old. It may not be a self-driving system per se, but it when it takes control it does so better than I do myself lol.

 

[KarlK]

Goes back to any law suite. You sue everybody and let the court figure out who is responsible.
You'd think insurance rate would be flat for everyone (assuming there's no override feature)

I assume standardized no-fault systems would be the standard if it ever comes to that.