You can lead a horse to water ...( Friend buying a Jeep )

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by Cd

In the near future, the rich will be the first ones buying the automated vehicles that swerve and brake in milliseconds - much faster than a human could ever do.

It's the poor that will be dying in car accidents.

This is partially true. However, there is a trickle-down benefit in that the rich drivers will cause less accidents due to the automated safety features. Often times it is the poor who are at greater risk as pedestrians, but pedestrian avoidance systems will reduce the incidence of these collisions.

Originally Posted by freebeard

While on the one hand I'd like to be chauffeured around by a fembot android; on the other, I'd like to oversteer through corners on gravel roads on my own.

Automated systems would switch off on those gravel roads since they can't see the road markings. You'll still have to know how to disable the traction control systems, which are already stealing enjoyment of gravel roads (and probably saving some lives).

[Fat Charlie]

BMW's pedestrian avoidance systems would be crosswalk-aware. They'd be set by default to hit anyone not in a designated pedestrian crossing while the walk light is lit. The only setting users could change would be to hit (or not) pedestrians who enter the crosswalk after "don't walk" starts flashing.

See, it's not BMW drivers that act like nobody else matters, it's the cars themselves...

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by Fat Charlie

See, it's not BMW drivers that act like nobody else matters, it's the cars themselves...

Your observation applies to all classes of people and is part of the human condition. It's just that those with greater means generally are able to express their self-importance in more annoying ways.

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

Automated systems would switch off on those gravel roads since they can't see the road markings.

I wonder what they'd do during the several months of the year (in some parts of the country) where you quite often can't see the road markings because they're covered by snow. Do you suppose that having these self-driving cars developed & tested in coastal California may have led to a few things being overlooked?

Then there's the whole idea of having the automated system do the driving in "normal" conditions, but abrogating control to a human if things become sticky - when the typical human now has no driving experience because the automated system has been doing it all.

[Xist]

It seems a majority of people think they are better-than-average drivers, which is statistically impossible. Based on twenty years of not being the only car on the road, I say let the robot uprising have a chance!

Would they tailgate you? If they did, and even if they were accessing depictions of felines internetically while transmitting "laugh out loud," they would still undoubtedly brake before most humans would.

Would they speed up and slow down seemingly randomly?

Would they use their turn signal?

Would they honk at you and flip you off for not driving as fast as you want?

Would they check their blind spots or even have them in the first place?

Would they know how to stay centered in their lane and park?

Would they weave through traffic, attempting to "win?"

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by Xist

It seems a majority of people think they are better-than-average drivers, which is statistically impossible.

Actually it's not statistically impossible. If most of that majority are only slightly better than average, and there's a minority that are really, really bad...

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by jamesqf

Actually it's not statistically impossible. If most of that majority are only slightly better than average, and there's a minority that are really, really bad...

Maybe Xist was referring to the median average, in which case it would be impossible for most people to be better than average.

[wdb]

Thread.... keeps..... drifting......

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by wdb

Thread.... keeps..... drifting......

And this is news? That's what threads are supposed to do!

[freebeard]

Originally Posted by wdb

Thread.... keeps..... drifting......

So we're back to gravel roads? I was thinking of an android behind the wheel of a 36hp VW Beetle, sans 'traction control systems'. A proper android should be able to handle terminal oversteer.