Congress debates allowing tens of thousands of cars with no steering wheel

GM needs help from Congress to spin up production of smooth-dashed driverless cars.

Read the whole story

 

[IntellectualThug]

I am 100% supportive of AV but I do find that the photos of a controlless dash has a subconscious "wrong" feel to me. It is probably because of sitting behind the wheel of a car all those years.

I guess it is probably how lifelong sailors in the age of sail would feel when they saw the first steamships.

It might actually induce less of a "that's wrong" feeling if they did what some concept cars did and turned those front seats around so that they faced the rear seats and put a table in between the two rows of seats.

I understand it that rear-facing seats are horrid for crash safety performance.

If this is true, then how come experts recommend children's car seats stay rear-facing for longer and longer periods of time?

I don't know, but I can't seem to find any NHTSA or IIHS data on the subject for adults.

Admittedly I don't remember where I heard about rear-facing seats so it may have been something from an earlier era or a particular vehicle that did them poorly.

 

[IntellectualThug]

I really don't know how I feel about a completely autonomous vehicle with no way to intervene in case of a pending collision or accident that I can see about to happen. Even the best software locks up or has problems. I'd rather not gamble with my kid's life or anyone else's life that the software piloting this is 100% safe from issues or malicious interference from an outside source.

A much better analogy is aircraft autopilot systems, which have been in use for decades, and are generally far more reliable than typical computer or phone software in terms of hangups or crashes. The NTSB already performs a detailed investigation of every fatal plane crash, and I'd love to see a comparison of the number of deaths caused by "software hangup" vs pilot error. I'm not aware of any actual deaths caused by a software hangup, while I know of several examples of human error causing a crash.

Even more direct modern jets have some level of flybywire. If you fly in a passenger jet you are "gamble with my kid's life or anyone else's life that the software is 100% safe".

A catastrophic failure of the flight computer in a modern passenger jet and you die. It is that simple however millions of people fly everyday because the computer don't have catastrophic failures.

I don't have quite so much faith in vehicle autopilots as plane autopilots. My concern is that Boeing, Airbus, et al actually have a history of doing a good job vetting their hardware/software systems and ensuring that there is sufficient redundancy. There's also the NTSB and FAA that will make filet-o-fish out of anyone arrogant or dumb enough to allow an easily preventable crash to occur.

Compare to the auto industry where they ship out vehicles with defective accelerators and totally unsecured software and steering wheels that fall off and gas tanks that explode when hit and airbags that don't work with little if any consequences to face. It's not an insurmountable problem, but the regulatory structure needs to reflect the additional responsibility borne by these corporations for public safety now that they design both the driver and the vehicle.

 

[IntellectualThug]

Feinstein ugh. Can't stand that authoritarian old crone.

Guess I pissed off the Californians. Even her state Democratic committee can't stand the cunt. I don't understand why anyone thinks that corporatist, authoritarian pseudoliberal deserves anything but derision.

No need to insert ugly ad hominem and misogynistic views into the conversation. Keep it factual.

I'm not familiar with her politics, so can't speak for the accuracy of the statement, but it's important to remember that insult=/=ad hominen, I can call someone a cunt without that implying their policies are bad because of it.
Also a wikipedia search does seem to suggest "corporatist, authoritarian psuedoliberal" is a fairly honest description, based on her support for PATRIOT, and FISA at least.

There is a direct correlation between how much government power is lost/gained and how much support Feinstein gives it. Banning all guns? Rabid support. Reducing burdens on testing a new, life-saving technology whose success would dwarf every gun murder? Fuck you.

I despise her and all the other limousine liberal shitheads that proclaim support for shit like minorities and freedom and what-have-you then turn around and support secret courts and mass surveillance that will be used expressly and exclusively to suppress those same things.

 

[IntellectualThug]

"People are dying by the tens of thousands in car accidents, so we need autonomous vehicles!!"

While I agree with the sentiment, why isn't anyone pushing for more onerous driving tests, so that drivers have to have some level of skill in order to legally operate a vehicle?

They are! Most states have imposed additional restrictions on teen drivers' licenses over the last 20 years: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/a ... 7515001012

And some states have considered even more drastic changes, like raising the driver's license age to 18 or extending junior driver's license rules to 21.

But most drivers on the road at any given point on time are adults who have had their licenses for decades. Trying to take their licenses away or forcing them into more training would be political suicide.

Problem's never been skill, anyway. Inattention is what gets people killed.

 

[IntellectualThug]

Feinstein ugh. Can't stand that authoritarian old crone.

Guess I pissed off the Californians. Even her state Democratic committee can't stand the cunt. I don't understand why anyone thinks that corporatist, authoritarian pseudoliberal deserves anything but derision.

No need to insert ugly ad hominem and misogynistic views into the conversation. Keep it factual.

I'm not familiar with her politics, so can't speak for the accuracy of the statement, but it's important to remember that insult=/=ad hominen, I can call someone a cunt without that implying their policies are bad because of it.
Also a wikipedia search does seem to suggest "corporatist, authoritarian psuedoliberal" is a fairly honest description, based on her support for PATRIOT, and FISA at least.

There is a direct correlation between how much government power is lost/gained and how much support Feinstein gives it. Banning all guns? Rabid support. Reducing burdens on testing a new, life-saving technology whose success would dwarf every gun murder? Fuck you.

I despise her and all the other limousine liberal shitheads that proclaim support for shit like minorities and freedom and what-have-you then turn around and support secret courts and mass surveillance that will be used expressly and exclusively to suppress those same things.

this is a better critique of Feinstein that doesn't need to slam her for age or gender and focuses on her often wrongheaded policies ....

This coming from the reader base that jumps at the chance to use the age/race of old white guys in congress to the same effect. Hah.