Driverless Cars

[Negative Creep]

There's a big thread on Pistonheads regarding a future with driverless cars, or an end to private ownership where we just dial up a pool car, and considering it's supposed to be a forum for car enthusiasts it's worrying how many are saying they can't wait for the days self driven cars are a thing of the past.

 

For a long motorway drive I can see the advantages, but I can't see the technology being at a level where it could anticipate every occurrence. It's not just a case of spotting a car in front stopping suddenly, but deciding when to swerve, what is a priority, obeying the hand gestures of a policeman, driving into a field to park at an event and so on. Even worse would be a future without private cars. Of course that would mean all shite and classic cars are consigned to the museum or scrapheap. Any sports or performance cars would instantly be rendered pointless since they'd never be able to break the speed limit, and motorbikes would be banned. Mechanics, driving instructors, car salesman, tyre fitters, chauffeurs, valleters, taxi drivers and all their associated support staff would be put out of a job. Then there's the fact your location would be known and monitored at all times, or your destination altered. Too many cars in the city centre? You won't be allowed to travel there until it clears.

 

Am I alone in thinking this would be an awful future?

[burraston2006]

My worry would be when the are 10+ years old with negligable/ zero service history and sold by some dodgy fucker in a pub carpark. Would you trust a self drive car at this point? Would I bollocks!

[Pillock]

Not sure. In a lot of ways, the failing of modern vehicular transport is the squishy pink thing between the seat and the steering wheel.

That was the issue when I nearly got rear-ended by a van yesterday, I watched it headed towards me as I stopped on a main road to wait to go around a parked car. Driver not paying attention, ABS kicked in YO and he ended up alongside me. I could argue a driverless van would have not been distracted, would have kept a safe distance as computed taking into account road conditions and speed, and would have braked perfectly.

 

Does take the fun out of driving though. And yes, the nuances of everyday driving will take a lifetime to perfect. I can see it being useful in a Tesla fashion, where it just keeps you in the lane and moving along with traffic and avoiding stuff rather than saying "Take me to the STD clinic" and it just drives you there with you sat in the back sipping a G&T.

[stripped fred]

I think it's a long way off so I'm not going to worry about it. As Pillock said it may be introduced gradually keeping you in the lane on the motorway but I can't see it coming in for all aspects of driving for a long while.

[bigstraight6]

I hope this doesn't become a future reality as I love driving, but if it means an end to wankers behind the steering wheels of Audi's it might have advantages....

[Partridge]

Don't panic. All the time there's a demand for self-driven cars, they'll be available. I think by the time private ownership is dead and google is driving us everywhere and we don't have a choice, we'll all be dead or mowing the carpet

[lisbon_road]

I really can see driverless lorries working.  Imagine you run a fleet of lorries: they're restricted by driver hours, you have to pay the drivers and the drivers have all the same issues the rest of us have with work.  So driverless truck runs 24 hours a day without fuss, or pension, or anything else.

 

Cars don't have the same financial incentive.  

 

I must confess, I can see the benefits for me, especially as a cyclist.  I can't help but think that kids would bait them by jumping out infront of them, brakes...airbags and so on. 

 

The future is approaching fast.  But not that fast.  I'm not sure about that really.  

[Forty-two]

Driverless cars... An extra hours kip in the morning...

[hauserplenty]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=T3xjBKy0spU

 

I agree about trucking, and also Uber and Lyft have a big interest in this. But to reach the point of practicality I think they'll have to update and upgrade our infrastructure. Even if they upgrade the places nobody wants to go first, it's still gonna take awhile. As for the cars, we might see some but they'll need test pilots for several years yet. The cars might be based on Smarts, Priuses, Mazda 2's and such like at first, with an SUV to let us know they've finally got a little confidence in their systems.

 

They might also adopt a global standard for the equipment in the cars and road side cameras & sensors...but not for around 10 years I believe.

 

Give or take...

[UmBongo]

I can't wait for the Audi one to appear.

 

I'm sure it will be programmed to tailgate, overtake dangerously and never use it's indicators.

[garethj]

 "Take me to the STD clinic" and it just drives you there with you sat in the back sipping a G&T.

 

And think of the advantages of all the internet connectivity you'd have.  Automatic Facebook update: "Pillock is going to the STD clinic" Publish to: Everyone / My Friends / My Friends except: the girl I slept with last week.

 

Most driving I do is very tedious as I live in the overcrowded south east(ish) and do most of my traveling in the morning or evening.  Sitting in the car while it drives me would be fine, just like a train except it runs on time and doesn't smell of Burger King, piss and sweat.

 

If your driving is like off a TV advert where the roads are empty, you have a manly amount of stubble and a girlfriend next to you who laughs at everything you say, I quite enjoy driving.  However most modern cars are like driving with an anesthetic in your hands so you don't get much involvement anyway.

 

As for the bit about driverless cars getting old and unreliable, who says you'll be able to buy one for it to get old?  The way Riversimple sell their electric car is they lease it to you per number of miles, the car isn't yours.  If you have a lease plan for 3 years and within a year the engine dies, ECU blows a diode or a wheel falls off they just take it back, give you a replacement and you barely notice the change.  Old cars just may not exist any more.

[Captain Furious]

The only way I could see it working is if ALL cars were automated. It's the mix of humans and computers where it will come undone

 

Nobody can program a computer to deal with the levels of cuntlordery on the M6 at rush hour. It would just overload and reprogram itself to kill everyone

[sierraman]

It's nothing new the idea of driverless cars. In the 1960's they thought we'd all be flying round like the jetsons.

 

The idea of a self driving Lorry sounds ok whilst ever it's on the motorway. Once they've tested it a few times going down a one way the wrong way or its broke down or lost the plot on the M62 reality will hit home.

[HillmanImp]

The problem with drioverless cars is they have not yet figured out how they are to prioritise passenger or pedestrian safety.

 

Lets say a driverless car is driving down a road when a child runs out in front of it. It can swerve to avoid the child but by doing so it will hit a tree and kill the passengers.

 

How do you program a car to make that decision?

 

As a driver you will make a choice, it may not be the right one but would you want to be in a car that would choose to kill you and your family over a pedestrian?  

 

On the other hand would you want a load of cars on the road that would actively choose to kill your child if they ran onto the road to save the person in the car?

 

How do you give a car the moral decision over life and death?

[Jim Bell]

Insert three youtube videos of Volvos with auto brakes and avoidance sensors running people over and crashing into things.

[sierraman]

I can picture them at Eddie Stobart wondering where this Lorry is they programmed to set off from Carlisle 3 days ago is.

[martc]

The problem with drioverless cars is they have not yet figured out how they are to prioritise passenger or pedestrian safety.

 

Lets say a driverless car is driving down a road when a child sized paper sack blows out in front of it. It can swerve to avoid the large sack but by doing so it will hit a tree and kill the passengers.

 

How do you program a car to make that decision?

 

 

 

You and I know what decision we would make, put would a computer?

[martc]

I can't wait for the Audi one to appear.

 

I'm sure it will be programmed to tailgate, overtake dangerously and never use it's indicators.

 

And it's only destination would be somewhere were there is an urgent need for some photocopy paper samples in "new and exciting shades of pink".

[DSdriver]

I'm looking forward to driverless cars, I'll be able to drive like a twat, going through red lights and stuff without being hit.

[Jim Bell]

[Jim Bell]

[Dick Cheeseburger]

I'd imagine a future full of driverless cars will be about as pleasant, trustworthy and as exciting as a new law ensuring all cars had to have an electronic handbrake. At least road rage incidents would become between human and own vehicle, rather than between two humans.

[oldcars]

I hated it when the Reliant drove its self. Turns out i had the idle set to high, normal service is now resumed. It will never catch on.

[Dick Cheeseburger]

Brilliant. Swedish episode of Jackass. For maximum Johnny Knoxville effect, he should have jumped all over the car afterwards, making whooping noises.

Seeing that video makes me think those dodgy Ovlovs could be used with murder/abuse crims to be test mules for.

[Dave_Q]

Driverless cars will happen eventually but there is a couple of decades at least until they're ready for the public IMO.

 

I'm not surprised they're ready for them on pistonheads, they are probably the wankers driving round on the phone, paying no attention, or as in one case I saw with an iPad on the steering wheel.

 

Ultimately the general attitude towards driving has already changed for most people, from something to be enjoyed to something you have to suffer to get to work. It's part of the reason cars are less car-y nowadays.

 

I don't think it means the end for shite, it will be seen as a curiosity, a strange hobby for strange men, and tolerated on that basis.

 

Much like now really.

[sierraman]

Does this mean I can have 6 or 7 pints then summon the car to pick me up from the pub? Seeing as I'd not technically be in charge?

[Craig the Princess]

Renault electronics making driving decisions? Not massively reassuring.

[dave21478]

Its too late to worry about this coming - its already here. Google self driving cars have done millions of miles in testing in USA and have I believe a 0% at fault accident rate. 

 

They have retro-fitted their system to Lexus 4x4s and have some purpose built wee Noddy cars too.

 

They are slow and cautious and always have a human there ready to take over. They cant drive in snow or heavy rain yet, but given the rate technology and software is progressing at, these things will be around sooner rather than later.

 

 

I also saw some thing about a company working on trucks, where a trucker drives a lead vehicle and 4 "drone" trucks follow closely behind it. Its only good on the freeway, but thats a huge step in the right direction too.

 

 

Am I for or against self driving cars? Im for it as long as its not obligatory. As long as I have the option of driving myself in my own car when I want to, thats fine and I can have a nap on the back seat of an automated one when I just want to get somewhere and cant be hooped with driving.

[Captain Furious]

Lorry's following extremely closely to the vehicle infront

 

I think I have seen these already..

[Jim Bell]

Can someone explain the point?

Driving isn't that hard.

 

File self driving cars with automatic robot hoovers and dish washers.