[ProtectOurFreedom]

You can't drive a block in Mountain View, CA without seeing one of these. I still give them a healthy margin, especially when I am a pedestrian and need to cross the street. It is quite unnerving thinking that I'm depending on automation sensors to "see" me and computers and software to decide to not squash me like a bug.

When the first major bloodbath happens with a driverless car, I wonder what the expected market valuation of Waymo will be.

[Dr. Sivana]

I was seeing non-Pacifica versions of Waymo vehicles in Mesa. Now that we are near Glendale, where driving is more hazardous, not so much.

[dfwgator]

"We hope you enjoyed the ride!"

[PGR88]

When the first major bloodbath happens with a driverless car, I wonder what the expected market valuation of Waymo will be.

I'm a cynic. Litigation and liability are used by government to speed the elimination of industries and companies that do not fit social-engineering plans and are also financially ripe for harvesting by politicians, ie) tobacco, guns, certain drugs, chemicals etc... Or, of course, liability applies to small companies.

New economy-wide technologies, or politically-connected industries, are given very wide margin for mistakes.

[smvoice]

Does it understand Spanish? Does it service the border area?

[Yo-Yo]

"DRIVER DOES NOT CARRY
MORE THAN $20 IN BITCOIN"

[bigbob]

Goan’ have way mo accidents with these on the road!

[Moonman62]

When the first major bloodbath happens with a driverless car, I wonder what the expected market valuation of Waymo will be.

...

Almost 40,000 people die in traffic accidents in the United States every year. Do you mean that kind of bloodbath?

[AnotherUnixGeek]

Although the cars will drive themselves, a Waymo engineer will sit behind the wheel in case anything goes wrong.

And also probably to make sure the cars don't get stripped by passengers looking for interesting technology artifacts.

[dennisw]

Lawyers can’t wait to feast (eat them alive!) on the owners of these self driving car services. Give WayMo one year. this will be fun to watch.

[oh8eleven]

I wonder what the expected market valuation of Waymo will be
Wayless.

[AnotherUnixGeek]

When the first major bloodbath happens with a driverless car, I wonder what the expected market valuation of Waymo will be.

It started raining again in the Bay Area last week. I passed two major accidents on the 680, both in the other direction with plenty of emergency vehicles on hand and traffic at a dead stop for several miles.

Driverless cars can't get here fast enough - the carnage couldn't possibly be worse than it is with the quality of human drivers these days.

[Drango]

Per passenger mile, automated cars/trucks will be MUCH safer than human drivers.

[PreciousLiberty]

It is quite unnerving thinking that I'm depending on automation sensors to "see" me and computers and software to decide to not squash me like a bug.

When the first major bloodbath happens with a driverless car, I wonder what the expected market valuation of Waymo will be.

I doubt a "major bloodbath" will be an issue unless one is used for a bombing. For instance, one could hail one, leave the bomb inside, and then request it at the target address.

As far as competence while just driving around, I expect driverless cars to be at least as safe, if not safer, than a good human driver. One issue I've not seen much about is how failing/failed sensors are handled. Clearly the car shouldn't be self-driving if critical sensors aren't working.

BTW just in case you aren't aware of it, there has been one fatality that I know of with "level 5" autonomy, that was an Uber vehicle running down a pedestrian, in part because the human ride-along wasn't paying attention. Uber's technology looks to be substandard.

That accident did exactly nothing to stop the momentum of autonomous cars.

[ClearCase_guy]

If they have accidents, the company will see insurance rates increase, and then these rides will cost Waymo’.

[marktwain]

When the first major bloodbath happens with a driverless car, I wonder what the expected market valuation of Waymo will be.

Human drivers are the cause of multiple bloodbaths everyday.

The market value of human driven cars has not gone done.

But it will.

[Slyfox]

So, when somebody decides to steal the car ...

[aquila48]

I keep trying to imagine, what kind of people would volunteer as the first guinea pigs to use this.

But then, there are people volunteering to be the first to go to Mars on a one way ticket.

[AmusedBystander]

I see them everyday where I live. I have often wondered what they would do if I suddenly swerved toward them.

[Republic_Venom]

I can hear the conversation when horse and buggy was being replaced by the first cars. “At least horses have eyes and a brain. They won’t run over people. These machines don’t have a brain. They just go. All these people will die.”

Self driving cars are the future. No driving test, just hop in a car and go. Eventually, cars that need drivers will have to be set aside just like horse and buggy had to be set aside. Just a matter of time.

[TalBlack]

a Waymo engineer will sit behind the wheel in case anything goes wrong.”

This is so the “engineer” doesn’t have to die screaming alone...