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When self-driving cars become available, will you actually buy one?

I already did! (2017 Model S with Full Self Driving option) Of course, it needs some software updates for "full" self driving, but the system as is is pretty amazing. It is incredible to watch it drive down the 5 freeway at 80mph in moderate traffic and even change lanes on its own while maintaining spacing with other traffic.

Mildredop said:
No more speeding, no more nipping through the lights, no more fun. I just don't think the majority of people will want a self-driving car.

Makes me wonder if all these companies sinking millions into R&D are going to see much of a return.
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One thing I've learned from owing the Tesla is that much of the performance driving I do (max acceleration, quick lane changes, heavy braking), while fun, is often motivated by the need to avoid the inattentive, inefficient, and otherwise deficient drivers that fill up space on the roads. While I love driving (I kept my 2-seat sports car in addition to the Tesla), I actually might trade some of the fun of driving for the efficiency of full autonomy that can ensure the most efficient use of the roads for ALL traffic. No more honking at the driver who is sitting still at a green light while texting, no more sudden evasive maneuvers when someone changes lanes without looking, no more missing traffic signals because the person in front of me lagged until the light turned yellow, etc. I agree that i kind of lament the loss of the fun associated with spirited driving, but when I think of how autonomy can fix the problems with all the OTHER drivers on the road, I might be more willing to give up the fun part.
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bunnspecial said:
I enjoy driving too much to want a self-driving car.

Aside from that, I think folks often forget that not everyone lives in a city and that there are a LOT more roads out there than in-town surface streets and major interstates.

To be blunt, on two lane country roads-which are the ones I enjoy driving for fun not to mention going to see folks who live there-I see way too many hazards to make it feasible. You have to be on your toes to watch out for downed limbs, road wash-outs, livestock in the road, and deer darting out from nowhere. There are also things like roads that are at best a lane and a half with blind curves-I DON'T want a computer navigating me around one of those.
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AI coupled with synthetic vision is really the solution. The technology is certainly capable of detecting and responding to a deer darting out in front of the car much more quickly than a human driver. I'd trust the computer with that any day. The state of the art in synthetic vision is very mature. The AI definitely needs a few hundred million more miles of data to assess before the systems start getting to a level of reliability that we need, but we are close.

It's really a relatively straightforward engineering and computing problem that is rapidly being solved. I agree we're not there yet, but it's not far off.
 
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scoobydoo99 said:
I already did! (2017 Model S with Full Self Driving option) Of course, it needs some software updates for "full" self driving, but the system as is is pretty amazing. It is incredible to watch it drive down the 5 freeway at 80mph in moderate traffic and even change lanes on its own while maintaining spacing with other traffic.



One thing I've learned from owing the Tesla is that much of the performance driving I do (max acceleration, quick lane changes, heavy braking), while fun, is often motivated by the need to avoid the inattentive, inefficient, and otherwise deficient drivers that fill up space on the roads. While I love driving (I kept my 2-seat sports car in addition to the Tesla), I actually might trade some of the fun of driving for the efficiency of full autonomy that can ensure the most efficient use of the roads for ALL traffic. No more honking at the driver who is sitting still at a green light while texting, no more sudden evasive maneuvers when someone changes lanes without looking, no more missing traffic signals because the person in front of me lagged until the light turned yellow, etc. I agree that i kind of lament the loss of the fun associated with spirited driving, but when I think of how autonomy can fix the problems with all the OTHER drivers on the road, I might be more willing to give up the fun part.
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AI coupled with synthetic vision is really the solution. The technology is certainly capable of detecting and responding to a deer darting out in front of the car much more quickly than a human driver. I'd trust the computer with that any day. The state of the art in synthetic vision is very mature. The AI definitely needs a few hundred million more miles of data to assess before the systems start getting to a level of reliability that we need, but we are close.

It's really a relatively straightforward engineering and computing problem that is rapidly being solved. I agree we're not there yet, but it's not far off.
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I agree.
 
I used to like driving. I used to like a manual transmission. But then one day everyone and their brother moved to the Seattle area.

Now there is no such thing as driving--there is only different degrees of fighting traffic. And stop-and-go traffic makes manual transmissions very unpleasant.

So today, yes, I'd like something else to take over the driving.

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Also, judging by the number of people looking at their smartphones while driving, I'd say a lot of people should be forced to buy a fully autonomous car. If you'd rather text than drive, then you shouldn't be allowed to drive:

Witness: Truck driver in Texas crash that killed 13 was texting
 
It's so much safer and would free us up to do stuff that's actually interesting. In 20 years we'll look back and say how ridiculous it was sitting in rush-hour traffic for 2 hours a day bored out of our minds. I'd have no problem paying a hefty premium for the privilege.
 
snicklesnackle said:
It's so much safer and would free us up to do stuff that's actually interesting. In 20 years we'll look back and say how ridiculous it was sitting in rush-hour traffic for 2 hours a day bored out of our minds. I'd have no problem paying a hefty premium for the privilege.
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I'd rather telecommute and not pay any premium.

If you spend hours in traffic going to an office to sit in front of a computer, why go to an office at all?
 
No.

add-speed-to-the-list-of-causes-for-the-tesla-model-s-autopilot-fatal-crash-109078_1.jpg
 
Once the technology has matured, and as long as I have the ability to intervene in emergencies, absolutely.
 
The major issue with autonomous cars is the responsibility problem. If the car causes an accident,is it the passengers,the car manufacturer or the car itself that's responsible? If it's the car,can you really send a machine to jail? Is it the manufacturer,that was not even near the accident? Is it the passengers that did nothing?
Just ask yourself these questions. I have nothing against new technology,and I would probably like some kind of assisted driving,but fully self driving capacity scare me. How much AI do we really want in the cars we drive daily,on crowded city streets,through school zones and other areas? And besides,for recreational driving,I prefer a car with absolutely no automatic functions. When driving for fun,I guess my two hobby cars are better than anything the modern industry created,but of course,a driving assistant when going to work might be a good thing,as long as I am still in charge.
 
Yeah. I saw a video clip of a self driving Volvo on their test track,moose ran out in front of car,moose dead,car scrapped. That car had a software glitch,the programmer had probably never studied wild animal behaviour near highways.
 
I would like a self-driving car sometimes, but I have less than zero desire to own a fully-self-driving automobile with no manual option. Too many times I end up in odd locations, or needing to go to a specific loading door of a warehouse or studio and back in a certain way...stuff that autonomous just wouldn't deal with. Last week I was at a farm of sorts and had to park in a specific field down an unmarked dirt road. Even if they figure out how to make cars deal with every single possible scenario, I just don't want to lose that control all the time.
 
I would want a totally 100% self-driving camper van. Get in at 5am or something, sleep, wake up at 8am next to a ski mountain right in time for first chair. Ski all day. Dinner and drinks in the van while playing scrabble or something, get home at 9pm.

That would be the dream.
 
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chown33 said:
I'd rather telecommute and not pay any premium.

If you spend hours in traffic going to an office to sit in front of a computer, why go to an office at all?
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Well I definitely agree with that. The idea of having to turn up to a physical place for school or work is becoming increasingly ridiculous.
 
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chown33 said:
I'd rather telecommute and not pay any premium.

If you spend hours in traffic going to an office to sit in front of a computer, why go to an office at all?
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I had a friend who was required to be at his office every day. It was a 2-2.5 hour commute each way for him. Usually, he was one of the only people in the huge office. Everyone else worked at home or out of town. He had no clients to meet, no phones to answer, nothing...just sit at a computer drawing. So there was literally no reason he had to be in the office. It was just some company requirement for him.

I also ran into that when I was interviewing for a company where I would be at a computer all day drawing and building 3D models. Could I work from home? No. Must be in the office every day. Turned me off of the job.
 
They can pry the steering wheel out of my cold dead hands.....

But I absolutely want the general population to get self-driving cars so we won't have idiots driving on the roads trying to cut the line sort of speak when they go into an entrance/exit lane on highways during rush hour gridlock in order to move ahead of the line, left lane cruisers, etc.
 
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quagmire said:
They can pray the steering wheel out of my cold dead hands.....

But I absolutely want the general population to get self-driving cars so we won't have idiots driving on the roads trying to cut the line sort of speak when they go into an entrance/exit lane on highways during rush hour gridlock in order to move ahead of the line, left lane cruisers, etc.
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It's been speculated that in the future large cities could outlaw private car ownership and cut down the number of vehicles by 2/3. Self driving vehicles could facilitate this.
 
The way our transportation grid is designed, it's not safe for all these people to be on the road. Everytime I go on the road someone's doing their makeup, EVERYONE's on their phone at some point. Every traffic light someone's texting and late to go. The awareness is gone. I hate the idea of not being able to drive my own car but how we have it designed is very stupid.
 
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quagmire said:
They can pry the steering wheel out of my cold dead hands.....

But I absolutely want the general population to get self-driving cars so we won't have idiots driving on the roads trying to cut the line sort of speak when they go into an entrance/exit lane on highways during rush hour gridlock in order to move ahead of the line, left lane cruisers, etc.
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Basically, insurance will just make it prohibitively expensive for you to drive yourself around. Then you'll switch.

I like driving, but I understand how unsafe it is. I have moved over to a leasing strategy to add features as I go.
 
AustinIllini said:
Basically, insurance will just make it prohibitively expensive for you to drive yourself around. Then you'll switch.

I like driving, but I understand how unsafe it is. I have moved over to a leasing strategy to add features as I go.
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There already exist specialty companies like Hagerty and Grundy for lightly driven classic/collector/exotic cars.

If autonomous cars truly become the norm(I hope they don't), I suspect that companies like those would step up provide reasonable insurance as long as the car isn't a daily driver.

After all, it's pretty well known that even a well maintained(structurally) older car is a death trap, and the older they are the worse. Still, you can insure these cars reasonably as long as you're not using them to get around every day.
 
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