Wammo might be a better name
Posted on 11/07/2017 10:37:51 PM PST by iowamark
What do semi truck drivers call Robot gadgets currently installed on trucks? Nice? Great? Thanks? NO!
Robot gadgets are called DANGEROUS GADGETS by drivers.
Live in your utopia dream land. But in the real world Robot Gadgets are dangerous, and turn Good drivers into Bad drivers.
But your ignorance must feel blissful.
Wammo might be a better name
In the words of John Fogerty, “I see trouble on the way.”
“Waymo’s stated goal is to ensure safer roads for everyone”
Humans, you no longer need to be accomplished or skilled at anything, we robots will take care of you better than you can possibly take care of yourselves.
>>>like 40,000 die annually. Maybe fewer with self-dr8ving cars.
I try to remind myself every time I get behind the wheel that half the cars I pass have below average drivers. (though they all think it’s the other guy).
My neighbor recently got killed in his semi.
This neighbor had been driving a brand new computer controlled rig for months and then they had to put him in an older rig. I think he got so used to the self braking/collision avoidance feature that he got too relaxed to suddenly go without it.
Rammed into stopped traffic on the interstate. Luckily he hit other semis. Pushed the flatbed of one right through the cab but that guy lived. If it had been cars in front of him, he’d have killed anyone in the first 2-3 cars, maybe more.
Granted he was the easily distracted type and one of the younger crowd that’s constantly tapping on the phone with his two thumbs so that probably played into it as well. Got so used to being able to do that while hauling down the interstate at 70mph. (even though that’s not the way it’s supposed to work)
The video is ideal weather and ideal traffic. What we in the software industry call the “happy path”. What about rain? At night? In snow while it’s snowing at night? I’m guessing it will likely shut these things down. Downtown Boston during rush hour? Again likely way to difficult still. Five-way intersections with lots of pedestrians? Color me skeptical.
This technology will not survive First Contact
with the American tort bar.
I got t-boned by a red-light runner in a major downtown SF intersection. I had just dropped off my co-worker at our building a few blocks away. If he were in the car, he would have been killed as my car was totaled on the passenger side.
Despite getting knocked around, I got out and checked on the female driver who was slumped over the steering wheel. She was embarrassed more than injured, apologizing to me for hitting my car.
She was driving down the street, pretty fast, looking at storefronts for Nordstrom's store and blew through the red light. I forced the police to come out and get a statement showing she was at fault. Good thing, because I had to sue her insurance company for refusing to pay for damages. My lawyer got me a great settlement. If a driverless car hits me, who do I sue for damages?
“...Seems to me, level 4 wouldn’t be good enough. They still would need to pass their drivers exam and be able to control the car at a moments notice....”
I think that’s precisely the problem - They DO pass their driving exams already.
I was at DMV a few months ago and observed a cohort of extraordinarily elderly people who all were taking (and passing) their driving exams. All had trouble walking and most couldn’t really even read the forms they were filling out ( copious help from nurses or adult children ) .
I want to be clear that the Elderly absolutely need mobility and deserve independence. I welcome the coming of level 4 vehicles because My 83 year old Mother will be liberated from the stress of crashing and getting lost. She‘ll be able to visit friends much more often. Level 4 would be a godsendf for her and millions like her.
There are currently ~40,000 traffic fatalities per year. If that could be reduced to ~15,000 does it really matter that much to you that the most humane decision is made in each collision? In other words, what is your metric?
...
It’s all based on emotion. Driverless cars will be held to a standard of perfection. Carnage on the roads is OK as long as it’s traditional.
What scares me is they are using Chrysler vehicles.
If a driverless car hits me, who do I sue for damages?
...
The owner of the car, same as you do now.
Nice video with pleasant generic music.
Perfect weather? Check.
Perfect roads? Check.
Light traffic? Check.
Few pedestrians? Check.
Perfect GPS guidance? Check.
Waymo car always available and on-time? Check.
No road repair or construction zones with flaggers? Check.
No police officers directing traffic with hand gestures? Check.
No unpredictable animals or debris in the street? Check.
No demonstrators, rioters, squeegee people, or holdup gangs in the street? Check.
What could possibly go wrong?
The cost of a new car will buy a lot of taxi, ride sharing, and shuttle trips.
level 4 is fully autonomous within a given geography.
level 5 needs no maps.
Thanks for the clarification..
Where do I sign up?
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