[vooch]

“...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.

[EVO X]

I've seen autonomous cars referred as both level 4 and level 5. Maybe this becomes a reality sometime soon, but I doubt it. Lets say you have a car that can drive itself 90% to 95% of the time. The driver still has to be capable of driving the car and analyzing what is going on. This might not be good for elderly that have slower reaction times. If they are fully attentive, it could be a useful feature. But at what cost?

The cost of a new car will buy a lot of taxi, ride sharing, and shuttle trips.

[Does so]

As I age, my 2000-mile bi-annual commute in retirement is becoming a drag. I'm actually looking forward to a "self-driving" car.

Where do I sign up?