Self-Driving Cars
Waymo has been testing some cars in the nyc area and it looks like they have plans to come here as well. What are your thoughts on self-driving cars in general? Do you like them? Would you prefer it to other ride service apps? Will they do well in nyc?
I’d prefer to have a driver.
Prefer the train over them for sure (though Isaiah is right, driver by far best option). If free subway becomes a thing anytime soon won’t be opposed to a waymo as opposed to station congestion.
Waymo is probably the best out of the self driving cars. I have ridden in them before, and generally I didn't have any issues. That said, I think self driving cars are massively overrated. Ideally, those dollars should go towards expanding public transit systems
Why would we do that? In 20 years, if all vehicles are self-driving, trucks and cars could platoon on highways going 100-200 mph, acting like trains, but eliminating the last mile problem for passengers and enhancing public safety. If anything, the gov't should be working with the autonomous vehicle companies today to improve road infrastructure. With America's extensive highway system, in 20 years Europeans will be looking at us with extreme envy as even the middle class safely and efficiently commute hundreds of miles in safe, private luxury vehicles at a low cost.
I actually think in the future we will have lots of small self driving vans which employ an algorithm on how to best carpool and set up routes for 6-10 people.
Where do you park the cars? What happens if someone throws a ladder onto the road and causes and 12 car pile up from cars driving 100 MPH? How do you maintain roads that will be strained from the massive amount of heavy cars driving extreme speeds over them? How do pedestrians move around these 100 MPH cars?
I could go on, but what's the point. You're banking on a theoretical future that will probably never happen.
del
It still creeps me out, but my few Waymo experiences have been far better than most Uber experiences.
I tried waymo in cali and I actually prefer it to human drivers in most cases. No driver talking loudly on a call, asking unnecessary questions, smoking (yes I've had uber drivers smoke cigs inside the car)... and I've heard lots of stories from female friends about experiences they've had with rideshare drivers.
I'm a huge proponent of autonomous cars. Their benefits are vast, with the primary downside being the difficult transition from almost all human-driven to almost all autonomous and the wonky early technology. But once nearly all vehicles are autonomous and the technology is perfected, there will basically be only benefits.
Lol sure.
The only way self-driving technology works is if tech companies manage to convince legislators that they shouldn't be held responsible when their technology kills people. If you think that's likely, then I concede self-driving vehicles are the future. If you don't, then the legal/insurance costs are going to be far too high to bear.
What is your specific disagreement? I literally said that the transition from human to autonomous cars will be difficult as the technology is still early. But the idea that there is no point in the future--not in 5 years, not in 100 years--where autnomous vehicle technology won't be nearly perfected is downright bizarre.
How could I have been more specific? Just because you aren't capable of addressing the concern I raised doesn't mean I wasn't crystal clear.
Right now, when a human operated vehicle kills or injures someone, we have a system of how to hold various parties accountable and how to provide recompense for victims. How does that work in a world of autonomous vehicles?
Does Waymo hold the insurance? They pay the premiums? How do we judge guilt and responsibility when an autonomous vehicle runs down a small child?
Over the last 30 years most tech companies have innovated far faster than legislation can keep up, and have avoided basically any and all legal liability or exposure for the harm they cause. That won't be the case when it comes to vehicles, where we as a society have a lot of experience in estimating and managing the risks.
My objection to autonomous vehicles has less to do with the technology and more to to with the secondary impacts. As I said, tech companies have never faced any real regulatory or legal pressure in real time, and I think that will be a huge concern for the companies involved.
As a lifelong automotive fanatic, it's such a shame to see the advent of autonomous vehicles in my lifetime. I'm thankful beyond belief that 2001: A Space Odyssey got their predictions as early as possible; that way, we had some time to soak in a good thing while we've got it.
Don't let the love for the drive die out.
A man after my own heart. Don't let the love for the drive die out indeed. I hope that we'll be able to continue driving real combustion engine cars for many more decades. Nothing else feels like it.
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