I was out driving today, well taking a driving test I should say since everyday in O town is a driving test... anyway there was a crash (I don't like to use accidents as that would imply something that could not have been avoided) a crash in the middle of a limited access toll road no where near a exit or entrance. No rain, good visibility I mean WTF how do these idiot  just run into each other.

Anyway there was a lot of redirecting of traffic which made the think, how do self driving cars relate to the cop out there in the middle of the street giving hand signals? how does the car know its a cop? can it really be that good with visual cues? how about a good citizen that is trying to save lives vs the crack pot that wants to create havoc?

once some tricky driving to get around the wreaks back on the road, I see a metal sign laying on the ground next to the hiway. Knowing a good wind could pick that right up I slow down and get away from it. So can a self driving car figure out when to take defensive measures like that. Can it tell the diff in a piece of harmless card board vs metal sheet. Is it smart enough to know its limits and slow down to take the time to figure it out? will it look behind and see the dope on  the cell phone ready to rear end it if is does slow down? can it decide which is more likely to cause a problem?

Will It look behind and see the idiot biker on a rice burner weaving in and out and take advasive action when the bike suddenly cut you off (I saw it coming and made it easy for the fool not to become an organ donor).

On a day like today I am thankful that I am driving.

Now this next statement will sound inflammatory and I really don't mean it that way.

I had an epiphany,

Low information drivers are ok with self driving since they themselves do not really take all the information that is out there into account in there own driving, therefore its easy to think a computer can duplicate the same level of awareness they are used to doing.

Hi information drivers (drivers with good skill and experienced enough to be able to recognize and extrapolate possible outcomes) realize there is a lot more to driving than steering and braking. A set of algorithms will never really be able to do as long as there are unexpected problems, which there will always be.

I would like to see more people get educated to become Hi information drivers.

 

 

Edited April 1, 20187 yr by Dave WM

15 minutes ago, Dave WM said:

Hi information drivers (drivers with good skill and experienced enough to be able to recognize and extrapolate possible outcomes) realize there is a lot more to driving than steering and braking.

Amen!!!!

Systems were disabled...

 

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-uber-crash/uber-disabled-emergency-braking-in-self-driving-car-u-s-agency-idUSKCN1IP26K?il=0

19 hours ago, 240260280 said:

Systems were disabled...

That's bad just to stop erratic vehicle behavior but this will keep the lawyers busy for years... 

"The report noted that Herzberg tested positive for methamphetamine and marijuana, and that she did not look in the direction of the vehicle until just before impact."

What a ****ed up world if this is "normal".

I like my '72 240 the best of anything with four wheels I've ever owned.  No computers or ECUs, black boxes etc.

My favorite of all time, flat spot on the front tire with gravel inside, had only 3 wheels. 

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/business-44460980/this-car-is-on-autopilot-what-happens-next

Happens every day, you have to watch and notice things like this happening. If  I cant see the cars in front of the car I am behind, I adjust my distance to allow for exactly this situation (I should add that dumb humans are guilty of tail gating behind big trucks, no way they can see what ahead of them, just playing the odds with a life and death consequence, incredible stupidity).

Just today there was all kinds of chaos on the road from big truck dropping shite, to earth moving equipment swinging big buckets around with workers on the side trying to warn drivers. All this goes into a thinking alert human brain and is processed against past experience to adapt to constantly changing situations.

I don't really get why someone would want the current tech anyway, you have to stay constantly engaged according to the car maker then whats the point other than massive testing at your own expense.

I still see tv commercials running where dumbfounded drivers are relieved that the car stops its self while they are looking around at bill boards, imagining cars made out of cardboard food boxes, and never do they show the 99% of the real distraction... wait for it... texting while driving. Why not just have for once an honest commercial showing the real reason for having this, so you can play with your phone and hope the car will save your arse.

Edited June 13, 20186 yr by Dave WM

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-uber-selfdriving-crash/uber-driver-was-streaming-hulu-show-just-before-self-driving-car-crash-police-report-idUSKBN1JI0LB