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Are you scared to ride in a Autonomous Vehicle?
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Anyone who ever wrote a line of code that looked good but still contained a bug will be at least a little afraid of fully trusting an autonomous vehicle. That's a little irrational, true, considering that our cars are full of chips now anyway and some of them are crucial to the vehicle's most basic operation.
In fact the autonomous car has a better shot at dealing with most wrong-way driver situations, out-of-place pedestrians, trash cans in the road, etc. But it could be hard to accept that notion, if you've ever debugged ordinary code gone haywire over some "trivial" little detail that in execution promptly sent the computer on an unintended search and destroy mission.
Not everything that seems simple to us is simple to impart to artificial intelligence. There's a component of common sense that we still don't understand but that even pretty good AI messes up on sometimes. We don't even consciously know what our brains do know about a situation sometimes, and so we're not sure we can teach it all to our robots. I guess that's what test drives are for... One hopes that the tests of advanced autonomous vehicles are extremely rigorous. But, they're likely to contain a few bugs too, so they may not reveal bugs in the logic being tested.
In fact the autonomous car has a better shot at dealing with most wrong-way driver situations, out-of-place pedestrians, trash cans in the road, etc. But it could be hard to accept that notion, if you've ever debugged ordinary code gone haywire over some "trivial" little detail that in execution promptly sent the computer on an unintended search and destroy mission.
Not everything that seems simple to us is simple to impart to artificial intelligence. There's a component of common sense that we still don't understand but that even pretty good AI messes up on sometimes. We don't even consciously know what our brains do know about a situation sometimes, and so we're not sure we can teach it all to our robots. I guess that's what test drives are for... One hopes that the tests of advanced autonomous vehicles are extremely rigorous. But, they're likely to contain a few bugs too, so they may not reveal bugs in the logic being tested.
Agree with you, Liz. I think it's pertinent that everything is thoroughly tested. Though it's fair to say Tesla is on the edge since they do OTA updates with alpha level code, which shouldn't cause an issue since they apparently built or rather coded in prompts to stop the system if it detects a bug. This, on the other hand, doesn't exempt them from the poor quality engineering on the physical facets of their cars. The software is cool, don't get me wrong, but at their prices, the exterior and interior design and materials choices would leave me feeling gypped. I recently drove one of my employee's new Tesla P100D. It's a step up from the regular Model S, looks better on the inside and to me feels quieter, but at that price, I'd be looking elsewhere. At the end of the day, it's not my car and they bought it with the money they earned. If they like it, I'm happy for them.
But good lord is that thing fast. I've driven fast cars before. Cars as fast as it. That instant torque is something else. I didn't expect it to come on quickly. One moment I was talking with my head to the side, the next it slammed against the headrest.
We're about to buy new cars in a year to year and a half, and I believe both or at least one of them will offer Level 2 Autonomous driving, but I have no plans on using it. Coincidentally, my car came with features that are yet to be standard on most cars, I don't even use them. Hell, I didn't even know their names until someone pointed them out to me. The only things I do require in a car are comfortable ride, really low NVH, hot and cool seats, and as much of an unobstructed view as I can get. And CD player. Yeah, I know it's old tech now, but I can't be arsed to connect my phone all the time. Alternatively, a hidden USB port so I can stick in a USB memory stick works, too.
I think the technology is premature and I've not seen anything that leads me to believe that we have sufficient oversight to ensure the public's safety. I'm not "afraid" but I'm not willing to put my well being at risk on technology that doesn't have any appreciable track record regarding its safety.
I don't even like riding in cars driven by other human beings ...
Same here.
I won't ride in an autonomous vehicle, no - Unless I can just take the controls and do it myself.
Driving is much more interesting than staring at a phone screen anyway.
Google/Waymo Stopped Testing Level 3 Self-Driving Tech After Testers Literally Fell Asleep While Using It, Switched To Full Autonomy
While its less likely to happen when there's multiple people in the car, it highlights the issues. People will not pay attention to the road when the car drives itself. Over time, its hard to keep focused especially when alone, and its quite possible to drift into sleep.
Driving is dangerous enough as it is, the last thing we need is people who are not engaged and paying attention.
While its less likely to happen when there's multiple people in the car, it highlights the issues. People will not pay attention to the road when the car drives itself. Over time, its hard to keep focused especially when alone, and its quite possible to drift into sleep.
Driving is dangerous enough as it is, the last thing we need is people who are not engaged and paying attention.
My wife and I are split on this one.
I can’t wait for driverless vehicles. The idea that I can think of something other than driving sounds wonderful and freeing to me.
My wife, on the other hand, is terrified by the prospect.
But she’s a scaredy-cat.
I can’t wait for driverless vehicles. The idea that I can think of something other than driving sounds wonderful and freeing to me.
My wife, on the other hand, is terrified by the prospect.
But she’s a scaredy-cat.
I'm terrified to be a passenger with certain drivers. I suspect that will be the same with autonomous vehicles. OTOH, I can't wait for them to be around. I find driving relaxing for the first 40 minutes, after that I need to do something. I want to be the passenger, playing on my iPad and sipping coffee.
Sounds a bit like the problem we have around here. Once in a while an Amish will fall asleep in his horse and buggy. The horse knows the way home, but fails to yield at a stop sign and causes a (often tragic) accident. There was also the case a few months ago when the horse got spooked and took off with the buggy (no driver) and ran up the middle of Main Street at noon. It was about a mile and a half before they got him stopped. No one hurt, thank goodness.
Right now I would trust those cars about as much as I'd trust a horse...
I don't even like or fully trust drive by wire let alone fully autonomous..
I would take a ride in an autonomous in the city though
I would take a ride in an autonomous in the city though
LOL i literally "drove by wire" one night after the near end of throttle cable in my VW bug parted company with the gas pedal arm. Had what I needed though: a companion plus some needle nose pliers and a good back: I spent the 14 mile trip home huddled in the passenger side footwell to work the pesky cable, listening to one of my brothers as we wended our way up and down the hills,,, "Pull... pull more,,, ok let off.... pull.... pull hard now, we're past the lake..."
Some short trips are way longer than others no matter who or what is doing the driving. I'd be willing to take an autonomous taxi in the middle to upper parts of Manhattan where it's still all laid out more or less like a grid of north-south avenues and east-west streets. Baby steps! But not farther downtown. I dunno about computer logic but even I was nonplussed as a human being thinking I had "got" how NYC was constructed, after I first encountered the intersection of West Fourth and West Tenth streets in the village. All pretense of logic departs the city map somewhere a bit north of there.
No, but I'd like a stop button or something. At least for the first few years.
For the same reason, whenever I go in a taxi I carry some piano wire with handles.
For the same reason, whenever I go in a taxi I carry some piano wire with handles.
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I have very little confidence in autonomous vehicles' ability to predict the unpredictably stupid behavior of the humans piloting other vehicles.
The other thing I don't like is the potential for humans to become even more untrained than we already are. When you need to have manual control over a car is when you're in a more dangerous situation, whether it's poor weather or rush hour inside a crowded downtown area. If people get too complacent by being chauffeured around all the time, they won't know what to do when the **** hits the fan.
The other thing I don't like is the potential for humans to become even more untrained than we already are. When you need to have manual control over a car is when you're in a more dangerous situation, whether it's poor weather or rush hour inside a crowded downtown area. If people get too complacent by being chauffeured around all the time, they won't know what to do when the **** hits the fan.
OP you need to add a depends choice.
I don’t fear automated trains and shuttles on tracks, although I can’t say they are incapable of crashing. If you look at modern machines, like airplanes that I am familiar with, it’s not unusual to have double or triple redundency..
I don’t fear automated trains and shuttles on tracks, although I can’t say they are incapable of crashing. If you look at modern machines, like airplanes that I am familiar with, it’s not unusual to have double or triple redundency..
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So you’re implying that you trust humans more that self-driving cars.
But I will bet you that SDCs will prove to be safer than human drivers. Significantly safer.
Do you believe otherwise?
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While I understand your trepidation, I think it’s going to be quickly proven wrong. Self driving cars will never be tired, tipsy, late, angry or distracted.
Right, they won’t, but they also won’t know what to do if the kids from the park come chasing after their soccer ball, or the inebriated young couple traipses into the crosswalk, or the patch of sheet ice just around the corner — where it appears at this time every year since you were a kid — shows up for the first time since you got your fancy new self-driving car...
In time. But right now I have a lack of confidence in a "SDC's" ability to make judgement calls. I don't worry about a horse making a wrong turn or running off the road. I worry about the horse making a bad judgement at an intersection. Likewise, I imagine a "SDC" will be fine in most situations, but I worry about that "one time" when that one situation comes along that wasn't or couldn't be accounted for in the code.
For instance, your SDC pulls up to a 4-way stop at the same time as another vehicle. The other driver waves. Was he waving you on or waving to say hello? Or one of the drivers isn't paying attention. Does the car proceed or wait for the vehicles to go in the proper order? Right now I don't know what will happen as either a passenger or the opposing driver. It will take many, many SDC test miles before I gain much confidence in these automations being "in the wild".
No. I love driving but I can’t wait for autonomous cars, at least in dedicated lanes / highways.
IMO, any form of autonomous cars with years of testing is going to be way better than inattentive / inconsiderate drivers.
IMO, any form of autonomous cars with years of testing is going to be way better than inattentive / inconsiderate drivers.
Right? While I'm a big driving enthusiast, those trips over 2 hours (let alone several ...) are just long monotonous trudges ... I'd much rather set destination on the highway and catch up on a Netflix show
Pretty much agreed. I've also said, "I love cars, I love driving, I even go racing once in a while... but I HATE traffic." I feel safer in the pits at the dragstrip than I do while driving to buy milk.
My Civic can do some things on its own -- its adaptive cruise control will keep a set interval between myself and the car ahead, and all the way to a dead stop, too; and it'll hold a lane, mostly; but it doesn't follow nav directions (what would it be, "Level 0.3b.a autonomous"?).
I still need to pay attention, but I gotta be honest: The adaptive cruise is so nice, I don't think I want to go back to old-style cruise control. It lets me stop thinking ALL THE TIME about whether to add 1 or 2 MPH, or coast off 1 or 2 MPH, and pay closer attention to other things. Instead of OCD-ing and counting "mississippi-one, mississippi-two, mississippi-three" every minute (or less) to check my gap, I can be more attentive to the traffic off my flanks, or which exit I need to look for, etc.
At first we fell off bikes too at some point when we were learning... Afraid of water etc... No difference when we are coming from something we can control all the time to a full on autonomous vehicle when out hands are shaking hovering over the wheel just in case.
I guess the transition of cruise control in cars today "eases" us in, but some people just wanna know i am in control, and never the car.
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