Self Driving Cars? Right Oh!

[ToraToraTora]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-39397211
More carnage! No fatalities, this time!

[Hopkirk]

It's like 3D TVs. They will keep trying for years before realising it's never going to take off.

[mikey4444]

We have enough carnage on our roads as it is, without having this daft nonsense.

[Samjenko]

'It's like 3D TVs. They will keep trying for years before realising it's never going to take off.'

Is that all you've got, hopkirk. I'll raise you every technological advance in the last 5,000 years.

[TWR]

On the same line, the firm I worked for many years ago had a fleet of 30+HGVs which never give out engine troubles for the mileage they covered, a firm came in with a bright spark Idea, this device was guaranteed to save the company £1000s by using the original oils meaning you never had to change the oils, did it work? a few blown up engines later the firm found out it did not.

[Hopkirk]

I drive lorries that have the new 'lane departure warning' systems fitted. A sensor notes the location of the white lines to warn you if you drift out of lane without indicating.

This presumably is part of the technology that self driving vehicles use.

You would be amazed how often you get false warnings when correctly positioned. Often it is old blacked out lines from past roadworks, but sometimes there is no visible reason.

Yet they talk about using this technology to replace me at the wheel of a 44 ton truck.

[mikey4444]

Sheer madness Hoppy !

[ToraToraTora]

It will never happen, It's one of those things that seems feasible but when you actually think about it, it becomes clear, that it's never going to happen.

[mikey4444]

It reminds me of all those predictions made in the 50's and 60's, that we would be like the Jetsons, and all flying around in our own personal helicopters !

[ToraToraTora]

I doubt they will ever get the programming right, but even if they do the legal and insurance issues will be overwhelming.

[TWR]

Hop, with respect to your answer, If I needed a device to tell me I was drifting, I would pack the job up, It's another load of Bull S. to add what the driver has to do, things that other motorist know nothing about.

[jno]

it occurs to me that a self-driving car wouldn't plough into people on a bridge in London at 75mph. (And there are reports of a couple of other similar but non-terror-related incidents in the Standard today.) Cars that couldn't become weapons wouldn't be a bad idea.

[ToraToraTora]

so human powered cars are all potential terrorists, welcome to planet jno!

[ToraToraTora]

all this waxing lyrical about safety, etc, none of the proponents of autonomous vehicles seem to have the remotest clue how they will overcome the 1000s of issues that will in the end kill this idiocy stone dead.

[jno]

I didn't say "all", TTT. But consider the latest terrorist action: he didn't get into Parliament - the days of getting a bomb into the car park are long gone - but taking a few people out with a car proved to be still a simple and affordable way of killing a lot of people for those who don't have access to guns.

[ToraToraTora]

even if they do make them work, how long before they are hacked and driven into crowds by remote control? No where to go with this one jno.

[Samjenko]

I'm going to astound you, jno.

Very good point. I completely agree.
(if they could hack that technology, ttt, wouldn't all the world's aircraft be grounded by now?)

[Hopkirk]

Well TWR it is, or soon will be compulsory to be fitted. Also collision avoidance brake assist, a sensor that warns of likely collision, and if you take no action starts to apply the brakes.

I think the lane departure warning is mainly aimed at the problem of drivers falling asleep, hopefully stopping those dreadful 3am crashes.

[ToraToraTora]

Samjenko: "(if they could hack that technology, ttt, wouldn't all the world's aircraft be grounded by now?) " - err no, because planes are not autonomous they have various systems and autonomous features but they can all be turned off by the pilot etc. Anything written by human can be hacked by human.