Would you trust a self driving car?

[blueoval]

Its not the software I dont trust. It's the people in control of the software I dont trust. How do you know if some hacker, or the government or someone sinister doesnt get control of this technology and is able to cause chaos worldwide with the push of a button?

We live in a world where control over what you do is becoming less and less as it is. This will just hand over your driving freedom on a platter.

/end cynical rant

[joolz]

Just as long as its not Microsoft. They crash all the time...

[Iggle Piggle]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

There will be some sort of logic programmed into the car about crashing.

Do I go off the side of the road and certainly kill that pedestrian I have seen?

Do I save the pedestrian and kill the passengers inside by hitting the oncoming object?

The car will be programmed to make a call like that.

Good point. Will it swerve off of the road when that is the best option.

Say an oncoming organic-driven vehicle drifts into its path on an undivided road, and there is a gravel verge clear of vegetation etc on the roadside - will it's collision avoidance be restricted to what it perceives to be road or will it recognise and use the clear gravel verge?

And if it uses the verge and avoids strife, will it flick the tail on the gravel for *****-n-giggles in celebration?

[chevypower]

I'm sure the technology will get to a point where scientific data warrants trust, but it's just not something I am interested in. Though it might be convenient for running the kids around.

[simon varley]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

There will be some sort of logic programmed into the car about crashing.

this seems to be the current conundrum. Personally I think the car will be programmed to never let itself get into that situation - even if it means assuming that drunken rugby players may jump out in front of it and so it will limit itself to 20kmh or something.

[roKWiz]

Stay tuned for self driving trucks. yikes !! What's worst is they're Volvo's.

[TheInterceptor]

What people forget is that it won't happen is Australia.

The government will lose so so much money from speeding and "hoon" revenue if computers start driving. They cannot and will not allow such a thing.

[blueoval]

Originally Posted by TheInterceptor

What people forget is that it won't happen is Australia.

The government will lose so so much money from speeding and "hoon" revenue if computers start driving. They cannot and will not allow such a thing.

Good point. Govco relies on our imperfections to pay for their lifestyle and additional put money in the coffers.

[carwant.com.au]

The only way i see it working is to build a new 'technology' city, whereby the only type of 'cars' that are allowed, are these type of driverless cars. I'm sure they wont build a city of this type, but this is how i see it working; eliminating human driving altogether and 'only' having cars controlled by computers and software.

This is how it is with the Google car. Whilst it travel's on normal roads, it's 100% success rate (without any crashes) has been within the Google campus.

[pottery beige]

do self driving cars fart

airport cabs are full of airport cab line up farts

hook me up no farts bro

[Qwerty321]

Originally Posted by Iggle Piggle

Good point. Will it swerve off of the road when that is the best option.

Say an oncoming organic-driven vehicle drifts into its path on an undivided road, and there is a gravel verge clear of vegetation etc on the roadside - will it's collision avoidance be restricted to what it perceives to be road or will it recognise and use the clear gravel verge?

And if it uses the verge and avoids strife, will it flick the tail on the gravel for *****-n-giggles in celebration?

This brings up a great point. Will it handle infinite variables with its judgement, or will it be pre programmed. If were talking pre programmed like the current Tesla then hell no. But if were talking AI tech like KITT from night (knight?) rider then sign me up. That said with an AI there'll always be the skynet factor lol. Personally if you can't have a fluid conversation with me, you can't drive my car

With the cruise control, where I live there's basically no use for it. The roads aren't long and straight enough. Even then I just have an irrational fear of it getting jammed on or something. Possibly cause I don't have much experience or exposure to cruise control apart from seeing in on the steering wheel stalk.

[LTDHO]

Self drive cars will still have the usual controls (as in steering wheel, throttle, brake, etc) so in the event of an incident, the person behind the wheel is still responsible. Whilst most people will naturally hold the car at fault because no likes to admit they are wrong.

[whynot]

Yes, I definitely would use a self driving car.

Those who say “no” should think a little bit further ahead to the day they are forced to surrender their “manual” car licence due to senility. While one might pine for the sensation of hand on the wheel and the foot on the pedal, what you are really pining for is the independence to jump into a car and go wherever you want to go. Watch a parent or grandparent go through the process of surrendering their licence and it is like watching part of them die in front of your eyes.

What are you being forced to give up when going from a manual gearbox to an automatic gear box? Or a fixed speed cruise control to a radar adaptive cruise control? Or foot operated non-ABS drum brakes to a crash mitigation braking system? Or a hydraulic power steering to an electric powered steering with lane control? These are all steps down the road to full automation. Do you feel less of a driver because your car has radar adaptive cruise control? Or do you welcome it has a handy safety net.

One only has to spend 30 minutes looking through the dashcam footage on the internet to realise the how truly dreadful most motorists are on the roads today. Will self driving cars prevent all car crashes, no. Will they significantly reduce road deaths and road trauma? Undoubtedly yes.

[Charliewool]

There are already self driving forklifts in coldstores and warehousing. Self driving mining trucks in WA.. What they have in common is designated paths and areas pre-programmed.. With alerts for pedestrians, new obstacles etc.
The only way a self driving car/cars will operate 100% safely is by having a dedicated road system for them only.
Maybe the future is gradually building these dedicated roads along side existing normal roads on the most used routes?
So you manually drive your googley to the closest of these google roads, hit auto pilot and go?....

[flightstrike]

Originally Posted by Iggle Piggle

Funny thing is we resist it in cars yet think nothing of it or have no idea of how much of the flights we take are controlled by computer.

The other day coming in to Adelaide the captain came on the radio and told us the computer was going to land the plane.

I'm sure pilots are needed for situations where there is a malfunction or some other kind of situation that requires human intervention, but I reckon the biggest role they play is providing a human presence in the cockpit so that we get on the plane in the first place.

Had the computer fail on me the other day.. Started doing strange things.
So Coffee down, hand on controls and hand fly the Bugger!

[Bill M]

I wouldn't at first but most likely would get used to it.
I don't believe it is going to be panacea people expect.

[Adamz Ghia]

I think self driving cars would extend the life of our current freeways by at least double. Think about it, when it gets to the point where self driving cars significantly out number regular cars, there will be no mindless braking for no apparent reason, no driving 15k's below the limit, no sudden lane changes, no right lane hogging, much fewer accidents, they would improve traffic flow to no end. The problem with our current freeways is people's driving skills, or lack thereof.

[Syndrome]

How many people on AFF fly? My brother, who is the captain of a Jetstar A320, tells me the planes fly themselves for most of the journey. If people trust self-flying planes then self-driving cars should be no reason for concern.

[Express]

Isn't there some sort of air traffic control that keeps a watch over planes as well?

Will they do the same for cars?

You're relaxed back enjoying the trip when a voice comes through the speakers to tell you your car is doing a burnout and please take over control.

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by Syndrome

If people trust self-flying planes then self-driving cars should be no reason for concern.

With a few exceptions driving a car or truck on the road requires more decisions per minute than flying a Plane.

[Franco Cozzo]

Though I gotta admit I'm looking forwards to the day where I can jump in my car with my mates and yell at it 'Jeeves! Take us to the strippers in Melbourne!' and we no longer have an issue with someone having to be the designated miserable **** who can't drink and trying to drive 4 jackasses around inside Melbourne, then trying to find parking.

Or jumping on the train which doesn't operate past 11pm.

[foxtrot3]

Originally Posted by cheap

It will be a lawyers paradise.

Blame the driverless car, or the other driver, or a part of the automation system, or an electrical fault, or the software, or the hardware, or a sensor, or a software patch, or mechanical failure which the automation failed to notice, or a virus, or skippy didn't do what he was supposed to do, or the self drive car killed the pedestrian because it was programmed to protected the occupants of the vehicle... when it all goes wrong one thing is certain the automation will provide an endless combination of who the blame.

Hi. Not my problem, I WASN'T DRIVING. Cheers MD

[whiteSY]

I'm not sure I could trust a car made in a country with very cheap labour, using software requiring regular updates and therefore open to virus attack, and on roads that in many places are "dodgy" at best.
The analogy has been made - would you trust anything from Volkswagen, made in China, with software from Microsoft?
This whole forum was started so that Ford owners can find remedies to common design faults - one of them being ICC issues! How long have cars been on the roads with ICC software already - and we're still having problems with software that controls a very limited range of vehicle functions.
No - driving is a skill. A perishable one, but a skill none the less. If senility is a problem beyond a certain age - fair enough. But placing your most precious gifts (your kids) in a self-driving car because it may delay your day . . . you need help, man!
Regular driving training might actually help eliminate bad habits and weed out the f#@wits off our streets, and would be a much better and less costly proposition than the purchase of a self-driving car.

[2011G6E]

It's all fine until the car has to make an ethical decision on whether to kill you to save someone else...and it might just have to decide to kill you for the greater good.
There have been articles on the programming that will have to be put into these things...
http://www.technologyreview.com/view...ammed-to-kill/
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-st...-a6710956.html

This isn't just fear-mongering or being a luddite who doesn't like modern technology...it's a simple fact of putting a computer in control of a large heavy moving object that will, one day, possibly have to make a choice.

Look at Japan...one of then most tech-loving societies in the world. Their commuter trains are all automatic...they literally don't need a driver and can do everything themselves. However when they were first developed, tests showed that virtually no-one would get on board unless there was a human sitting up front...even if it was just some old mama-san sitting there doing her knitting. People like a human to be in charge, even if only in an emergency.

Same with airliners...for a decade or more they have been perfectly capable of taking off, cruising, and landing all on auto-pilot.
So...would you get on board one knowing there was no pilot up front...?

[CyberWasp]

I am over the hour+ commute to work each way in Sydney during the week.
Where do I sign.
Cars will not need much programming to putt along at a snails pace in peak hour.

[danzvtil]

Wow, so many from the tin foil hat brigade, are you aware that the hardware needed to run these autonomous cars is already on the road now, radar cruise, lane departure systems, blind spot monitoring, auto city braking all form part autonomous functionality with the final control by the human driver. Nope, none of it is perfect, but there will be a time when all cars are talking to each other so there will be no such thing as an out of control car veering into your lane without your own vehicle knowing that its coming.

[Adamz Ghia]

http://www.wired.com/2015/05/feds-sa...ndeered-plane/

How do you stop the hackers? It's one thing to hack a plane, but hundreds of thousands of cars on the road is another story.

[2011G6E]

Originally Posted by danzvtil

Wow, so many from the tin foil hat brigade, are you aware that the hardware needed to run these autonomous cars is already on the road now, radar cruise, lane departure systems, blind spot monitoring, auto city braking all form part autonomous functionality with the final control by the human driver. Nope, none of it is perfect, but there will be a time when all cars are talking to each other so there will be no such thing as an out of control car veering into your lane without your own vehicle knowing that its coming.

Not tin foil hat brigade, just simple facts.
That's the programming that WILL be put in them. And it's not like all of a sudden every single car overnight is going to be autonomous.

If you don't like driving, take the damn bus...

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by danzvtil

Wow, so many from the tin foil hat brigade, are you aware that the hardware needed to run these autonomous cars is already on the road now, radar cruise, lane departure systems, blind spot monitoring,

A little while ago I drove a truck with lane departure and blind spot monitoring.

The blind spot (left side front) was handy as used to tell me when I was going across a bridge.

I tried out the lane departure one night (remember this is out in the stix) and changed sides of the road.
The lane departure warning went off when I crossed the centre line but then stopped.

I could have driven on the wrong side of the road a long as I liked, it did however set it off again when I changed back to the correct side

[2011G6E]

Originally Posted by GasOLane

A little while ago I drove a truck with lane departure and blind spot monitoring.

The blind spot (left side front) was handy as used to tell me when I was going across a bridge.

I tried out the lane departure one night (remember this is out in the stix) and changed sides of the road.
The lane departure warning went off when I crossed the centre line but then stopped.

I could have driven on the wrong side of the road a long as I liked, it did however set it off again when I changed back to the correct side

Saw video of a Tesla where some idiot hopped in the back seat to film it driving itself.
Kind of wondered how well that thing would do on the highways up this way where the center and edge lane markings are spotty at best, and sometimes not repainted for months...how would the thing know where the edges of the lane were...?
Bet it would be fun cruising along at 110kph and the white lines suddenly stopped for a while...