3 ms·

Which one will learn faster: each individual driver each time they have a minor accident (or a close-call)? Or the autonomous vehicle software updated from data

by Xixi 11y ago

Which one will learn faster: each individual driver each time they have a minor accident (or a close-call)? Or the autonomous vehicle software updated from data collected from each and every accidents involving an autonomous vehicle? The result will probably be software-updates like Tesla cars are getting today. I suspect that if the attitude towards autonomous vehicle accidents is similar to that of aircraft accidents, they will become extremely safe very quickly.

Silhouette 11y ago
I suspect that if the attitude towards autonomous vehicle accidents is similar to that of aircraft accidents, they will become extremely safe very quickly. On the other hand, if every autonomous vehicle accident is investigated to the same standard as every aircraft accident, it appears likely that the entire system will become so overloaded and cost-ineffective that it is completely impractical to operate before we get over the hurdle and achieve any consistently safer performance that might otherwise be available.
- Xixi 11y ago
  I agree with the risk of overload. Sanity needs to prevail. But by similar attitude, I was mostly thinking about the rigorous and systematic efforts to find root causes of accidents, rather than the toxic attitude of attempting to deflect blame (and liability) that is so pervasive in other industries. Safety starts with the culture: it's not an add-on or an afterthought. If Google starts to not fixing problems with its cars to avoid acknowledging a problem (and the liabilities that go with it), then we have a problem...
fullshark 11y ago
The point is not which is safer on a bottom line level, the point is consumers are terrified of the idea of surrendering control to a computer. Lots of people are terrified of flying for example even though it's much safer. Unless it's 10x safer people will be scared of automated cars and possibly even push for short-sighted laws.
- Xixi 11y ago
  Millions of people commute by subway everyday without suffering panic attacks. Tens of thousands (at the very least) ride Paris completely automated 14 subway line every day without suffering panic attacks, or any of the many other automated subways/monorails all around the world. And yet a subset of them are probably terrified of flying. Because flying, in a way, is scary. Unlike birds we are not wired to fly. But that's fine: autonomous cars won't be flying. If train/subways/tramway/bus can be successful, so can autonomous cars.

by Xixi 11y ago

Silhouette 11y ago

I suspect that if the attitude towards autonomous vehicle accidents is similar to that of aircraft accidents, they will become extremely safe very quickly. On the other hand, if every autonomous vehicle accident is investigated to the same standard as every aircraft accident, it appears likely that the entire system will become so overloaded and cost-ineffective that it is completely impractical to operate before we get over the hurdle and achieve any consistently safer performance that might otherwise be available.

Xixi 11y ago
I agree with the risk of overload. Sanity needs to prevail. But by similar attitude, I was mostly thinking about the rigorous and systematic efforts to find root causes of accidents, rather than the toxic attitude of attempting to deflect blame (and liability) that is so pervasive in other industries. Safety starts with the culture: it's not an add-on or an afterthought. If Google starts to not fixing problems with its cars to avoid acknowledging a problem (and the liabilities that go with it), then we have a problem...

fullshark 11y ago

The point is not which is safer on a bottom line level, the point is consumers are terrified of the idea of surrendering control to a computer. Lots of people are terrified of flying for example even though it's much safer. Unless it's 10x safer people will be scared of automated cars and possibly even push for short-sighted laws.

Xixi 11y ago
Millions of people commute by subway everyday without suffering panic attacks. Tens of thousands (at the very least) ride Paris completely automated 14 subway line every day without suffering panic attacks, or any of the many other automated subways/monorails all around the world. And yet a subset of them are probably terrified of flying. Because flying, in a way, is scary. Unlike birds we are not wired to fly. But that's fine: autonomous cars won't be flying. If train/subways/tramway/bus can be successful, so can autonomous cars.