For now, it seems like a novelty - cars that can operate independently of human control, safely cruising down streets thanks to an array of sensors and pinpoint GPS navigation.
But if the technology avoids getting crushed by government regulators and product liability lawsuits, writes the Federalist's Dan McLaughlin, it could prompt a cultural shift similar to the early 20th century move away from horses as the primary means of transportation.
First and foremost, he writes, the spread of driverless cars will likely greatly reduce the number of traffic accidents - which currently cost Americans $871b (£510b) a year.
"A truly driverless road would not be accident-free, given the number of accidents that would still be caused by mechanical and computer errors, weather conditions, pedestrians, bicyclists, motorcyclists and sheer random chance," he says. "But it would make the now-routine loss of life and limb on the roads far rarer."
Computer-operated cars would eventually reshape car design, he says, as things like windshields - "a large and vulnerable piece of glass" - become less necessary. Drivers will be able to sit wherever they'd like in their cars, which could make car interiors more like mobile lounges than like cockpits.
The age required to operate a driverless car is likely to drop, he says. There could be an impact on the legal drinking age, as well, as preventing drunk driving was one of the prime justifications for the US-wide setting minimum age to purchase alcohol at 21 years old.
There's other possible economic fallout, McLaughlin contends, such as a restructuring of the auto insurance industry, the obsolescence of taxi drivers and lower ratings for drive-time radio programmes.
The high-tech security state will also get boost, he writes, as GPS-tagged cars will be easier to track, making life difficult for fugitives and car thieves. Police will also be able to move resources away from operations like traffic enforcement.
Of course, he writes, the towns that rely on speed traps to fund their government services will be facing budget shortfalls. Privacy advocates could also get an unexpected boost, he notes, since traffic stops are one of the main justifications for police vehicle searches.
Finally, there's the prospect of the as-yet-unrealised futurist dream of flying cars. With computer-controlled vehicles that strictly follow traffic rules, McLaughlin says, "the potential for three-dimensional roads becomes a lot less scary and more a matter of simply solving the technological challenge".
Where we're going, we may not need roads after all. [Reply]
Originally Posted by RINGLEADER:
They have driverless taxis called Waymo testing in SF and in Vegas. Got a glimpse of this a couple weeks ago when I was there. To your point I think it will work once all the cars are interconnected and talking to each other — it’s the rogue human driver that is the problem.
Of course once we let the computers control our travel and AI infiltrates them we are doomed.
Well it's the rogue human driver, you can take my license away and let AI control everything over my dead body.
And AI driverless cars are fine once they are 100 times safer than those rogue human drivers...
But otherwise, driverless cars are here in 2018, I mean just around the corner. [Reply]
On Tuesday, Cruise announced it would resume service in select markets, starting in Phoenix, after a five-month hiatus following an accident last year in which one of its vehicles ran over a pedestrian. The catch? Cruise’s robotaxis will now be in “manual mode” — meaning an actual human will be behind the wheel, driving the car as its computers gather more information on the local roads. We’ll be taking yellow cabs again at this point.
Waymo ditches the waitlist and opens up its robotaxis to everyone in San Francisco
Waymo is opening up its robotaxi service to anyone who wants to ride in San Francisco. Previously, customers interested in taking a ride in one of the company’s driverless cars needed to sign up for a waitlist, which could take weeks or months to open up.
Waymo began its commercial test service in the city in August 2021 with a rollout to “trusted testers” — preapproved riders, some of whom were asked to sign nondisclosure agreements. In March 2022, Waymo began offering driverless rides for its staff. Since then its been giving rides to regular people who sign up for its waitlist, which the company says approximately 300,000 people have done since it first launched.
Now, Waymo’s driverless ridehail service will be available to anyone who downloads the app and requests a ride. This is similar to how Waymo operates its robotaxi service in Phoenix, which has been open to the public without a waitlist since 2020. And it comes at a time when Waymo is trying to cement its lead in the robotaxi industry, as some of its competitors are hamstrung by mishaps or a need to keep testing.
Waymo is trying to cement its lead in the robotaxi industry
Waymo has been operating in the Bay Area for years, slowly expanding its service area and introducing more driverless vehicles to its fleet. The fact that it’s now opening up its service to all residents of San Francisco — population 808,437 — is a sign of growing confidence from the Google spinoff.
Cheers to millions and millions of trips! We’re thrilled to celebrate a huge milestone: over 2 million paid rider-only trips completed. Thanks to your support, Waymo One is reaching new heights as we rewrite the future of transportation. pic.twitter.com/uNmzXmQMcv
Robotaxi company Waymo has voluntarily recalled software in all its 672 self-driving vehicles, according to a safety recall report released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The report said that on May 21, a Waymo vehicle driving in Phoenix hit a utility pole while attempting a low-speed pullover maneuver. There were no passengers in the car or injuries related to the crash, according to the report, only damage to the car.
The passenger the Waymo car was supposed to pick up told NBC affiliate KPNX of Phoenix last month that she was visiting Phoenix and wanted to try out the service. She said she heard the sound of the crash as she waited for her ride, which never arrived.
The report noted that the defective software could potentially pose issues in situations where a “pole-like object” was present but there was no hard road edge between the pole and the drivable surface.
Waymo estimated that 100% of its cars had the defect that caused the crash, according to the NHTSA report, which contributed to the decision to recall the software in all its cars. Waymo controls all its cars and said that it has issued updates to address the issue in its entire fleet, according to the report. [Reply]
...If you drive a car made by General Motors and it has an internet connection, your car’s movements and exact location are being collected and shared anonymously with a data broker.
This practice, disclosed in a letter sent by Senators Ron Wyden of Oregon and Edward J. Markey of Massachusetts to the Federal Trade Commission on Friday, is yet another way in which automakers are tracking drivers, often without their knowledge
...
One of the surprising findings of an investigation by Mr. Wyden’s office was just how little the automakers made from selling driving data. According to the letter, Verisk paid Honda $25,920 over four years for information about 97,000 cars, or 26 cents per car. Hyundai was paid just over $1 million, or 61 cents per car, over six years...
Robotaxi company Waymo has voluntarily recalled software in all its 672 self-driving vehicles, according to a safety recall report released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The report said that on May 21, a Waymo vehicle driving in Phoenix hit a utility pole while attempting a low-speed pullover maneuver. There were no passengers in the car or injuries related to the crash, according to the report, only damage to the car.
The passenger the Waymo car was supposed to pick up told NBC affiliate KPNX of Phoenix last month that she was visiting Phoenix and wanted to try out the service. She said she heard the sound of the crash as she waited for her ride, which never arrived.
The report noted that the defective software could potentially pose issues in situations where a “pole-like object” was present but there was no hard road edge between the pole and the drivable surface.
Waymo estimated that 100% of its cars had the defect that caused the crash, according to the NHTSA report, which contributed to the decision to recall the software in all its cars. Waymo controls all its cars and said that it has issued updates to address the issue in its entire fleet, according to the report.
Imagine if we got a news story every time a human hit something with their car [Reply]
Originally Posted by MagicHef:
Imagine if we got a news story every time a human hit something with their car
Political/legal/social hurdles are a big problem, although not the only problem.
Driverless cars with 1/10 the accident and fatality rate might not be acceptable in this country.
Although a crowdstrike update turning off millions and millions of computers within hours doesn't reassure me about turning over millions of tons of metal moving at 70 mph to automated systems... [Reply]
