Self-driving cars...

[Tim7139]

Originally Posted by Paul F

I can't wait for self driving cars. If they work out the bugs, they will open up so many possibilities. Crashes will go down, people with disabilities will be able to travel freely. Send your kid off to school and have the car come back by itself. No more deaths and disabilities from drunk drivers. Drive 24 hours to your destination. Roaming taxis that know how to get anywhere. Send your car out to get a bag of groceries or that beer you ran out of. It will be a radical change. As big as the internet. It will have impacts and applications we can't imagine.

But there will be an equal number of negatives. It will put autobody shops out of work. Will insurance rates go down? Will insurance rates for those that drive manually go up? Will that put more insurance employees out of work? The junk dealers and repair parts businesses will suffer. Some truck drivers will be out of work. Will there be any pride in ownership or will they become utility boxes like refrigerators - only to transport bodys.

The courts will have some interesting cases.

It will be fascinating.

Found it fascinating already, especially when they showed how a sharp software guy with a cellphone could hack them on 60 minutes. Made it turn any drection and screech to a stop at will. Should be real fascinating when junior gets run into a wall on his way to school because of some bored hacker in Bosnia.

[Buzz]

It's worth bearing in mind we're talking about test mule prototypes in a very early stage of development. I'm sure software security is on the to-do list, but nothing is completely foolproof. I saw a video recently showing a guy with a cellphone remotely activating the brakes on a C7 Corvette through a hack into the dynamic stability control system.

[NewYorkGuy]

nobody misses the typewriter or fax machine.

in 3 years, you'll be able to buy an electric car from the Apple Store.
self-driving cars will be mainstream when we are dead...

[fordracing65]

I have been wanting my own driver for years, let me get drunk on the way to work, sign me up...

[fordracing65]

Think of all the DUI lawyers and ambulance chasers that will be out of business, no need for them, no more DUI's or traffic violations, sounds perfect to me, especially for daily driving..

[Dimis]

Originally Posted by NewYorkGuy

nobody misses the typewriter or fax machine.

Sorry bro, that ain't the correct analogy.
For me, its more akin to losing the pen.

I can see advantages of motorways/freeways in town.
Particularly as insurance companies have a vested interest to reduce their expense claims on nose to tail incidents so no doubt they will loby away.

On principle, I'm against most all things that enables the dumbing down humanity.
Eg: Blind spot indicators, self park assist, abs, traction control... Blah, blah, blah... the list goes on. It's all done under the guise of "safety" but has exactly the opposite effect.

I hate knowing that I have to share the road with someone who will become conditioned to not even bother turning their head to check their blind spot, and lack the basic skills to park their car, or brake safely in an emergency, or even accelerate without spinning their wheels.

[Buzz]

I understand where you're coming from, with the loss of reliance on real human skills, but where do you draw the distinction between that concern vs. the tangible benefits of technological advances that really do make things better? You have ABS on your list - would you also have opposed disc brakes, power steering, EFI, paddle shifters, GPS, Doppler Radar, the Internet, matches and Kevlar body armor?

[Dimis]

Originally Posted by Buzz

I understand where you're coming from, with the loss of reliance on real human skills, but where do you draw the distinction between that concern vs. the tangible benefits of technological advances that really do make things better? You have ABS on your list - would you also have opposed disc brakes, power steering, EFI, paddle shifters, GPS, Doppler Radar, the Internet, matches and Kevlar body armor?

Everyone is going to have a different measure. My car of choice is a cobra for a reason. It purposefully lacks bells and whistles that Bing and chime, like when you leave your keys in or lights on or don't do your seatbelt up... I'm big on taking responsibility.

So for mine:
disc brakes - not opposed.
power steering - not opposed
EFI - not opposed (not opposed to electric powered motor cars either).
Paddle shifters - yes opposed. They're ridiculous in anything other than an F1 car.
GPS - yes opposed. Seriously, they cause more accidents than you think.
Doppler Radar - not on principle, yes on implementation.
Internet - sometimes.
matches - not opposed, that said, I know people who can't use them either
Kevlar body amour - not required where I live... Yet! We don't have shootings on a daily basis. However due to our legal systems not dealing with criminals anywhere near harsh enough, they may become a future requirement.

[fordracing65]

I just want a Google car to pick me up and drive me to work everyday while it sit in the back... and I will drive my cobra any other time, on the non Google streets...

[Bernica]

So, when I roll up on one of these in my car, what do they do?
Just pull over, I hope....