Self-Drive Cars Next Year?

[jno]

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/aug/18/self-driving-cars-allowed-motorways-industry-risk

I'm in favour of the idea, given that cars are less likely to be drunk and aggressive, but I wonder if the technology will really be there by 2021?

[ToraToraTora]

no motorways have slow lanes Tills, nor fast lanes for that matter.

[Tilly2]

It mentions slow lanes in the article, TTT. That's why I asked.

[JimF]

Explained here:
http://www.xtdriving.com/2017/01/05/the-slow-lane-middle-lane-and-fast-lane/

[youngmafbog]

Haha, I'll believe this when I see it. I probably never will though.

[youngmafbog]

What if the car misses a speed change and goes through a camera, who will plod go after?

[douglas9401]

They'll issue a 'note to self'.

[Old_Geezer]

Give it a decade or two.

[tomus42]

//they may let a few on, once they murder their first family they'll be off the road till 2100.//

Murder sounds a bit harsh. Do you envisage the cars becoming self aware and deliberately malevolent towards humans?

[Ryzen]

Electric cars.....a very expensive way to save money.

[jno]

Asimov's first law would prevent that happening, tomus. Though if the cars are made in sweatshops in Laos, who knows what laws they would obey?

[tomus42]

If they're programmed to drive head on into humans that don't use their indicators, I'm all for it.

[jno]

humans won't be using indicators any more, it'll be up to the cars. Still, we might see Mercedes and Ferraris programmed to race round the M25 with Ben Hur-style knives on their wheels, slashing Ferraris as they go.

[ToraToraTora]

It'll never happen, they'll have a few trials even a roll out, but when the carnage starts it'll be banned and put back in the toy cupboard until we can actually do it.

[douglas9401]

"Asimov's first law would prevent that happening..."

It's not really a 'thing' so, how?

[jno]

it's not?

Pshaw. Back to the drawing board, then.

[ToraToraTora]

Asimov's, laws of robots etc is actually a very good illustration of why self driving cars will never be achieved.
https://cdn.worldsciencefestival.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/10_WSF16_01_Asimovs-3-Laws-of-Robotics_still.jpg
I still prefer to focus on software's inability to do things that we humans find very simple simple as a reason.

[ToraToraTora]

Tomus 23:15, oh dear! no I am referring to the level of stupidity required to believe this is possible. When people start dying they would in effect have been murdered by stupidity. Computers have the very useful property of having 100% obedience and sadly also the very dangerous property of zero intelligence.

[archibaldy]

Normal cars weren't banned for 100 years when they were first involved in killing people.

The economic and social drivers for those, and indeed autonomous cars are far too great for that. Regulation and law will evolve to mitigate against the issues that are shown to arise but like 'normal' cars mistakes will happen, albeit less mistakes by the computers.

When all vehicles are autonomous the roads will be a much safer place than now, the crossover will be the most dangerous part.

[ToraToraTora]

archibaldy:
"Normal cars weren't banned for 100 years when they were first involved in killing people." - people react differently when a machine kills. I don't say they'll be banned for 100 years, it will take that long for them to a) be safe and b) induce the public to believe it.

"The economic and social drivers for those, and indeed autonomous cars are far too great for that." - indeed but they are not ready, we are not advanced enough, it is dangerous to unleash millions of killing machines onto the road when we can't even program a robot to wire a plug yet.
"Regulation and law will evolve to mitigate against the issues that are shown to arise but like 'normal' cars mistakes will happen, albeit less mistakes by the computers." - possibly but we'll never get away from the fact that a person must be responsible, if that's true then the whole thing is pointless.
"When all vehicles are autonomous the roads will be a much safer place than now, the crossover will be the most dangerous part." - agreed, but that'll never happen, it would mean all of us are barred from the streets, no pedestrians no cyclists, no motorcyclists. society will never accept that.

[ToraToraTora]

when I can get in my car, sit in the back seat, get it to drive me around the pubs and home again with me Rat Faced on the back seat eating a kebab and any death and destruction it causes is not my fault, then we can have self driving cars, i.e. never! If I have to be there, alert, responsible ready to drive, what's the point? I'd rather drive it myself.