Why Would Driverless Cars Need Rules For Crashing?

[ToraToraTora]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-37418119
we are continually being told they are perfect.

[Hymie]

In the UK there are around 5 road traffic accident deaths per day – every day (with many more seriously injured). I would hazard a guess that once we transition to all cars on the road being autonomous, that figure will drop to less than 1. It will take some considerable time before the figure reaches zero deaths, if ever, due to the inherent hazards involved in travelling in a tin box at 70mph.

But to all you Luddites, autonomous cars will be common-place within the next 10 years, and I would be willing to bet that within 50 years, laws will be passed to stop humans engaging in such a hazardous activity as taking control of a road vehicle, for their own protection.

[EDDIE51]

^^ That is my view exactly. Over 85% of all road accidents are due to human error, get rid of the human and it just has to be safer! Remember driverless cars will never break a road rule and will always be aware of exactly where the other cars are and what they are doing. They will all communicate constantly with each other and with the 'road network' via their computers.

[Caran]

I have been confused about these cars. I didn't realise they had passengers. I thought the car just went off on its own, and I wondered why, what would the car do when it got to where it was going.

[mastercraft]

I'm looking forward to the driverless motorcycle!

[1ozzy]

It's the legal fraternity that will slow down driverless cars getting on the road full time. Who do they sue in the event of an accident? Can't get money out of a lump of metal and plastic. Once the "responsibility" factor is solved they will become common place.

[tonyav]

Ford has announced it wants to ditch the steering wheel by 2021. And the accelerator pedal. Oh, and the brake pedal, too.

http://www.msn.com/en-gb/cars/news/ford-plans-to-ditch-the-steering-wheel/ar-BBvSWAf?li=BBoPJKX

[vulcan42]

I admire your optimism in this subject but they haven't yet invented the computer that never fails.

[mastercraft]

Too right, it will never happen.

[ladybirder]

1ozzy surely the owner of the car would be the one responsible?

mastercraft, LOL, yes that'll be great fun for all motorcycle fans.

[Gromit]

ALL cars should probably have a blackbox now, the technology is there and it wouldn't be too expensive. Human drivers are very unreliable witnesses when trying to establish the reasons for an accident. They will under estimate speed (or lie about it) and their perception of their movement and where other vehicles were is often just plain wrong.

In the case of autonomous cars, the occupant will be even more unaware of what is happening around them. So a recording system of the data available will be helpful in establishing the reasons for a crash.

This is not an admission that the driverless technology is dodgy. If we follow your aircraft anology, the blackbox there sometimes finds pilot error. But it can also find other reasons for a crash - foul play, adverse weather conditions, a parts malfunction. We accept black boxes on aeroplanes, why would we object to them in cars?

Often, if you are involved in a crash, it is not your fault, it is the other driver. The black box on an autonomous car will be able to relay information for use by the investigating authorities, which will more likely established that the computer driven vehicle will be superior to the human drivers around it.

[TWR]

Lady, I doubt the owner will be responsible as he / she is not in control it's the computer, something on the same line, a firm I used to drive for was introduced to a device that stated you don't need ever to change the oil (HGVs) the company had a fleet of 30 at that time, 10 was tried with this device, 10 engines blew up. I have my own views on this device regards the Driverless cars, in theorie " Maybe" In reality "No" can you remember the Plane that landed on the Hudson in N.Y? if that captain was not in charge, that plane would have crashed.

[naomi24]

//How many of you will be happy to ride in one? //

Not me.

[EDDIE51]

As for the 'computer fail' the thinking is they will have multiple computers both 'on board' and remote.( I have seen proposals that they will have 7 computers ) The actions will have to be agreed by all the computers or at least a majority of them. If one computer comes up with actions that are significantly different it will be overruled.
Computer failure was probably the first problem that was considered when designing the system for actual road use rather than just testing.
Do you know that a modern passenger aircraft has an 'autopilot' (computer system) that can do everything from initial engine start , through taxi to the runway, take off, flight , approach and landing to final 'docking' at the end terminal without the pilot needing to touch the controls? The system exists but so far is not used to it's full extent.

[chiaroscuro]

I'm not at all looking forward to these things arriving, not because I don't believe they are the future but they're going to be difficult to deal with. At the moment we give and take on our roads - eye contact and a nod allows us to pull out from a side road etc etc. These things are fitted with camera equipment and we're going to have to give them acres of room and not inconvenience them in any way or risk being reported for careless driving. When they become ubiquitous I don't think I'll want to drive a 'manual' car.

[TWR]

The Auto pilot did not land that plane on the Hudson Eddie, a pilot did.

[TWR]

Should have added to that, it's not the car at fault It's the person that controls it, pile ups are caused by one person on a Motorway, & that's the driver.

[EDDIE51]

We have to remember that computers are still very 'new' even as little as 40 years ago they barely existed apart from in huge specially built 'computer rooms' in large corporations. We will see massive advances in the next 50 years. I am sure that in 50 years time the idea of a person driving a car will be though as too dangerous to ever be allowed.

[EDDIE51]

We have to remember that computers are still very 'new' even as little as 40 years ago they barely existed apart from in huge specially built 'computer rooms' in large corporations. We will see massive advances in the next 50 years. I am sure that in 50 years time the idea of a person driving a car will be though as too dangerous to ever be allowed.

[naomi24]

Eddie, //Do you know that a modern passenger aircraft has an 'autopilot' (computer system) that can do everything..//

But as TWR says a pilot landed a plane on a river. Would you trust an autopilot to do that? I wouldn’t.

[Gromit]

//How many of you will be happy to ride in one? - Not me. //

Yet you are perfectly happy (I assume) to be flown on autopilot at 33,000 feet in the sky.