RE: Are autonomous vehicles safer than human drivers?

DAB — Wed, 25 Jul 2018 20:08:46 GMT

Nice post.

Having observed drivers for nearly 60 years, I think that driverless vehicles would reduce accidents once they become the dominant vehicle on the road.

The number of people I have personally observed on a daily basis who are driving either impaired, poor driving skills or just lack of attention has been growing over time.

So from my perspective, we should move most people away from the wheel as they are just another hazard on the road.

Such a move should be mandatory for certain age groups and those with substance abuse issues. I know with my medical issues that I should not drive except in actual emergencies. So I do not, though there are many people on the road who do not have the option to not drive.

While I am not sure the current technology is ready for such a shift, I see growing progress that convinces me to consider such a vehicle for my needs.

DAB

RE: Are autonomous vehicles safer than human drivers?

jomoenginer — Wed, 18 Jul 2018 15:35:05 GMT

Are autonomous vehicles safer than human drivers? I believe thus far the answer to this question is absolutely no. There have been too many crashes with autonomous vehicles where if the human driver was at the the control may have prevented the crash. There is just not enough data and the tech is not at the level needed for them to be safer at this time.

One thing though, unlike the Nexus Replicates in Blade Runner, as far as I know, there is no way to code memories into the autonomous vehicles. If a human has survived to the point where they can drive a vehicle, they more than likely have had some sort of "Oh, Crap!" experience in their life like running into the street as a kid to chase that ball to realize they are suddenly facing a car with screeching tires coming at them. This memory is, hopefully, carried to adulthood so when a ball is seen crossing a road, that memory will flash for the driver who then would expect a child to follow the ball and react accordingly. This certainly would not occur 100% of the time, but this type of reaction would not be the same for a silicon based mind.

However, I believe autonomous vehicles offer a level of Independence for those who do not otherwise have the ability to drive on their own. But, then again, is that not what Uber and Lyft are for?