Will you buy cars that drive themselves?
- Thread starter sonak
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^ Toonces! NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!
Me, I'd love to have a self-driving car. Or, even better, true and absolutely universal mass transit (i.e. "personal pods" that can take me wherever I want to go), since I hate driving and I would love to leave it all up to public transit. Unfortunately, the city where I live basically HAS no mass transit, apart from a lameass bus service..
Here's something I don't say every day: I agree with Christopher.
Me, I'd love to have a self-driving car. Or, even better, true and absolutely universal mass transit (i.e. "personal pods" that can take me wherever I want to go), since I hate driving and I would love to leave it all up to public transit. Unfortunately, the city where I live basically HAS no mass transit, apart from a lameass bus service..
Here's something I don't say every day: I agree with Christopher.
At the risk of incurring the wrath of Buzz Killington, I too happen to love driving and the experience of going from one place to another while I'm at the wheel, not that I begrudge anyone else who feels differently. I actually have a far greater recall and enjoyment for what I've seen when I drive than when I'm a passenger.
The exceptions would be driving in excessive or very slow moving traffic, day to day driving in my local area where I've seen it all before, driving in dangerous conditions, or taking a long trip through a repetitive and endless environment like the desert (which I've done frequently) or plains, all of which would be ideal settings for a driverless option to me, especially since the tediousness of the view and the driving experience can tend to make you sleepy, so it would be great to be able to kick back and take a nap.
Plus of course, it would come in handy for people who are tired after a long day spent at work or visiting relatives and might get sleepy, people with lots of distractions in the car like the kids or pets, people who went out drinking and partying, people with medical and age-related conditions that prevent safe driving, inexperienced drivers, etc. Or for people who would prefer to text or read a book or watch a movie or eat or do all the other things you're not supposed to do while driving but some people do anyway.
I would prefer the option to switch between self-drive and auto-drive modes as desired like in Demolition Man rather than have the car be exclusively driverless. But yeah, I'd buy one.
The exceptions would be driving in excessive or very slow moving traffic, day to day driving in my local area where I've seen it all before, driving in dangerous conditions, or taking a long trip through a repetitive and endless environment like the desert (which I've done frequently) or plains, all of which would be ideal settings for a driverless option to me, especially since the tediousness of the view and the driving experience can tend to make you sleepy, so it would be great to be able to kick back and take a nap.
Plus of course, it would come in handy for people who are tired after a long day spent at work or visiting relatives and might get sleepy, people with lots of distractions in the car like the kids or pets, people who went out drinking and partying, people with medical and age-related conditions that prevent safe driving, inexperienced drivers, etc. Or for people who would prefer to text or read a book or watch a movie or eat or do all the other things you're not supposed to do while driving but some people do anyway.
I would prefer the option to switch between self-drive and auto-drive modes as desired like in Demolition Man rather than have the car be exclusively driverless. But yeah, I'd buy one.
So, no one can possibly enjoy driving willingly? That everyone who does is "brainwashed"?
yep, exactly. It's the "irrational confidence" phenomenon applied to driving. A confidence in abilities to overcome dangerous conditions and ignore safety precautions based on... well, nothing at all. If you know the weather is going to be bad, plan for an earlier start to your trip, don't go really fast in crappy conditions.
LOL, every time I hear about self-driving cars I think, I could put my cat behind the wheel and freak out other drivers...
I enjoy driving late at night when the highway is relatively free of other cars, but for everyday driving, a self-driving car sure would be nice. Once I've got a couple kids, I could concentrate on entertaining them and let the car get us where we're going.
Of course, clean and convenient public transport would be nice, too, but I live in the 'burbs so that's not happening.
This.
Machines are to enhance our lives. When machines can do everything humans can do without supervision, they won't need us any more. I personally would not enjoy that.
"Carbon units infest Enterprise."
this isn't a response to you specifically as it is to all who have posted along the same lines:
just because you personally may not want to use a self-driving car, why does that mean you get to tell others not to?
Are Siri-like programs that can take dictation wrong because people with working fingers should take their own notes and type their own e-mails?
If you don't like GPS because you prefer to rely on paper maps, should others not be allowed to drive with GPS?
I respect your right to enjoy driving and drive yourself. I hate driving and wish I never had to drive myself anywhere again. I think I should get the choice to use technology that will make the roads safer.
This.
These thoughts reflect my sentiments, exactly.
I didn't say or see anything like that in this thread. Why so defensive?
I guess I took some of the harsher negative responses of "no, it's wrong or misses the point, go take a bus" to be statements other than that of personal preference and more critical ones. As I indicated, I wasn't responding specifically to your post.
There have however, been early legislative efforts to ban self-driving cars in some states. If that's based on a concern for reliability or safety, that's one thing, but I suspect a good chunk is motivated by ignorance.
^ And lawyers. The liability cases would be off the charts for something like this....if a driverless car crashes, who's responsible?
Try telling that to Jay Leno.
People always bring this up like it's some kind of revelation, but it's really not. Number one, these things are never hitting the road in large numbers until they've been tested like crazy to ensure safety. You would likely insure your self-driving car just as you would insure a car today. If it crashes, the insurance pays. If there is an actual defect in the vehicle that causes the crash, that's a manufacturer liability issue, and we already have a tort system in place for those.
Suffice it to say, while the legal waters for this are untested, they don't exactly represent some vast, unknown minefield that would threaten the entire concept.
Probably not. Irrational or not, I wouldn't trust the technology anytime soon. But I wouldn't object to other people having it it.
Then again, if it was something that could be turned on and off, maybe I would. I don't think I'd ever go to sleep though - I agree with Lindley.
This.
Then again, if it was something that could be turned on and off, maybe I would. I don't think I'd ever go to sleep though - I agree with Lindley.
This.
that was kind of along the lines of what I was thinking. It's not like it would really be that much of a game-changer in that area.
maybe this was answered, but my only question is how would the car be able to react to the unexpected? Like a cat or kid running out in the road?
