Posted on 05/06/2012 11:56:29 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
there is manual overide.
also how can you justify mass transit when self drive does it door to door and no maintainance boon doggle.
also think of self drive car valet.
car drops you off and parks somewhere and then you call it to come and get you.
"Current application will be terminated"
Unless it won't answer the phone because it's busy hanging out at the lube shop and having a few quarts of oil too many.
Put the 'autopilot' feature only on ALL ELECTRIC vehicles, and have them go find their own darn RECHARGING STATION.
Very similar to many people's conception that because 4-wheel drive gets them going faster in slick conditions, that it also means they can stop faster.
My response is always, "All cars have 4-wheel brakes".
Most people have never handled a vehicle in an adverse situation.
'Avoiding' an accident is a 'lost' skill.
It's just better that they take a nap and let the computer drive.
Only let people who can qualify in a handling test actually drive a car. Utopia is just around the corner. I see Skittles and Unicorns everywhere.
I for one look forward to the day when I can punch in an address on my autodrive then sit back and read a book for the duration. I take long trips towing my camper several times each year and it would really be nice to relax during those looooong drives.
It enables you to get really, really stuck farther from civilization.
When you finally 'break loose' on ice, you are really in trouble.
D@mned things tip over far too easily (8^D).
(Note, these are older models, with buckboard hard suspensions and manual transmissions/transfer cases, not the computerized rides of today).
Used properly, yes, they are a great tool, but they are not the invincible conquerors of the off-road many fantasize about.
Nor are the the laws of physics defiers that their driver think they are on freeways. I dread winter when monstrous 4WD vehicles driven by clueless people fly by me on icy or snowy roads since everyone thinks that 4WD prevents all skidding and makes vehicles stop just as well as they do on a dry road. Don't they notice vehicles just like theirs in ditches and wonder why they are there?
Oh Yes!
But that was last year's model without the super duper ditch repeller, or another make, another driver, with inferior tires, the wrong color of paint, a lesser trim package, etc. (any excuse for denial).
“I’m sorry, you’ve exceeded your mileage allotment for the day. Please exit the vehicle and await government transport to your domicile where you will be petted to sleep to the soothing melodious sound of Dear Leader’s speeches.”
Not to me.
Having endured a number of a$$holes tailgating, and weaving from lane as they attempted to “make up time” makes me want to see their drivers licenses taken away permanently. If that’s fascism, sign me up.
As long as there is an off switch a la cruise control, I for one welcome our new robot overlords.
Seriously, this is going to be a huge hit and will be perfect for commuting, which is hell on earth as far as I am concerned. Anyone who rejects this out of hand doesn’t have a long commute.
Using government force against people who have done you no harm, but whose behavior you disapprove of, is a slippery slope. You undoubtedly do many things that irritate the people around you. You won’t be happy when they send government goons to punish your behavior.
Proving actual damages is a requirement of civil lawsuits. No damages, no case. The bar should not be any lower in cases of government vs citizen.
I came real close to loosing control of an older 4X4 years ago. It was my old 78 Chevy K-5 full time 4X4. It wasn’t ice though nor really was I driving that fast for the vehicles I had owned and driven. I’d driven this road I was on hundreds of times with no problems. But the huge difference was the tires that came stock on the older Blazers. They would grip ice and snow great but would hydroplane in the least bit of water pooled on the road. When it rained I dropped the speed considerably but still kept a death grip on the wheel.
Sorry. That sort of driving behavior has more in common with brandishing a firearm or threatening someone (i.e. Assault). Don’t have to show damage in those cases to put them behind bars.
One more thing.
I have a daughter who is massively scarred from an @$$hole hitting my car. The gas tank exploded (guess what? that really happens sometimes!).
The person in question had a previous DUI - he was not supposed to be able to drive anywhere except to and from work (not the case). He was texting. He tried to leave the scene.
Personally, I think there ought to be a death penalty for certain types of reckless driving. You have a previous DUI or lost your license, and you kill you someone in a vehicular homicide are DUI again? The cop should put a bullet in your head right at the scene. Same thing for “wrong-way” drivers. Cop pops them right at the scene. No mercy, no pity, no second chances.
But you would not feel such animosity toward a driver who had fallen asleep at the wheel even if they had a previous instance of falling asleep at the wheel ?
The point is that society needs to punish when actual damage is done to other persons or property. It makes no difference why a driver was inattentive and caused the damage. Millions of other people are engaging in those same activities everyday without it causing injury or property damage. You seem ready to give up freedoms by overgeneralizing based on statistical correlations.
People are outraged whenever a drunk driver kills someone, but the truth is that millions of people drive beyond the 0.08% BAL every year and don’t have an accident, and thousands of people are killed in other accidents every year where there was no drunk driver.
The cause of the accident is inattention while driving. If you want to outlaw all distractions, then there must be no conversation while behind the wheel, no stereo system, and every vehicle ignition system must automatically blood test for any drug (such as antihistamines) that affects driving, and no stray thoughts can be allowed. Men think about sex every twenty seconds, so we definitely should never be allowed to drive, right ? Are you telling me your attention has never wandered while driving sober ?
Two more examples of behavior that is punished where it shouldn’t be. Brandishing a firearm and threatening somebody cause no actual harm to anybody. That is free expression in my book and should be protected under the 1st Amendment. You want somebody locked up because they hurt your feelings, I bet. Man up and be prepared to protect yourself in case threats actually turn to actions.
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