“- - - to the autopilot feature many consumers want to rely on- - “
Rely on an autopilot in an automobile? OMG! I can think of so many scenarios where the human brain with years of driving experience is so much safer.
Back during the Oil Embargo the son of an oil Sheik was a freshman at UT. One of the first things he did after he had his driver’s license was to by the biggest, poshest, wall to wall shag carpetiest conversio vans he could find.
Within ten minutes the dealership had to pick the young man up because he’d totaled the van.
“What happened.” the valet asked.
“I’m not really sure. I left the dealership. Got gas. Got the highway and after putting her in cruise control went to the refrigerator to get a Coke.”
And I’m very familiar with one where I’d rather have autopilot: long freeway drives. Straight, smooth, low traffic, good conditions, ... human mind starts blanking out after hours of consistent boredom, especially at night. I’ll gladly take control around cities or poor conditions, but 6 straight hours of nothing overnight thru Virginia is seriously risky for one’s brain.
“Rely on an autopilot in an automobile? OMG! I can think of so many scenarios where the human brain with years of driving experience is so much safer. “
Presently most accidents are caused by careless drivers.