4 ms·

Another bright light on the horizon: Self driving cars. I'm hugely optimistic that within the next 100 years, we could very possibly see deaths from drunk dri

Another bright light on the horizon: Self driving cars. I'm hugely optimistic that within the next 100 years, we could very possibly see deaths from drunk driving shrink to a small fraction of it's current value. It's a great thing when profit driven businesses also have positive side effects for everyone.

plytheman 10y ago
I'm curious when self-driving cars become common place how the law will react to it. It's my assumption that the law will still require a driver to be sober in the event that manual control is needed, though I suppose if the car is driving itself perfectly fine police would have no reasonable grounds to pull anyone over and discover they're drunk in the first place.
- deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]
- BigJono 10y ago
  > though I suppose if the car is driving itself perfectly fine police would have no reasonable grounds to pull anyone over and discover they're drunk in the first place. I can't speak for America, but here (Australia) I'd guess the vast majority of drunk driving tickets are from booze busses. I can't even remember the last time I saw somebody pulled over and breathalysed.
  - harpastum 10y ago
    Could you elaborate? What's a booze bus? In the US, It's a pretty common occurrence to see someone pulled over and breathalyzed if they're driving erratically.
    - mctx 10y ago
      A booze bus is a random breath test - the police have labelled busses that they park on the road. I believe if you blow over the limit then you get on the bus and are tested again in 30 minutes. They look like this: http://www.ranted.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/109890-booze-bus.jpg http://www.ranted.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/109890-b...
  - eon1 10y ago
    This may be the case in Melbourne - in Sydney cops aggressively breath test anyone who looks "suspect" (eg. P plates, any visible modifications, male w/ long hair, athletic wear) or who is "the right person at the right time" (say, if you're driving a utility around 4-5pm - many tradeworkers have a beer or two after work before going home).
- dx034 10y ago
  Very soon. Some countries, such as Germany, already discussed rules around self driving cars. In countries with a strong car lobby it won't take long until laws are in place that provide self driving cars without human interaction (once this is safely possible). Otherwise it's not much of a selling argument. Insurances are also very active developing models around it, so it shouldn't take too long from when we first see that car manufacturers can actually demonstrate the capabilities.

plytheman 10y ago

I'm curious when self-driving cars become common place how the law will react to it. It's my assumption that the law will still require a driver to be sober in the event that manual control is needed, though I suppose if the car is driving itself perfectly fine police would have no reasonable grounds to pull anyone over and discover they're drunk in the first place.

deleted 10y ago
[deleted]
BigJono 10y ago
> though I suppose if the car is driving itself perfectly fine police would have no reasonable grounds to pull anyone over and discover they're drunk in the first place. I can't speak for America, but here (Australia) I'd guess the vast majority of drunk driving tickets are from booze busses. I can't even remember the last time I saw somebody pulled over and breathalysed.
- harpastum 10y ago
  Could you elaborate? What's a booze bus? In the US, It's a pretty common occurrence to see someone pulled over and breathalyzed if they're driving erratically.
  - mctx 10y ago
    A booze bus is a random breath test - the police have labelled busses that they park on the road. I believe if you blow over the limit then you get on the bus and are tested again in 30 minutes. They look like this: http://www.ranted.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/109890-booze-bus.jpg http://www.ranted.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/109890-b...
- eon1 10y ago
  This may be the case in Melbourne - in Sydney cops aggressively breath test anyone who looks "suspect" (eg. P plates, any visible modifications, male w/ long hair, athletic wear) or who is "the right person at the right time" (say, if you're driving a utility around 4-5pm - many tradeworkers have a beer or two after work before going home).
dx034 10y ago
Very soon. Some countries, such as Germany, already discussed rules around self driving cars. In countries with a strong car lobby it won't take long until laws are in place that provide self driving cars without human interaction (once this is safely possible). Otherwise it's not much of a selling argument. Insurances are also very active developing models around it, so it shouldn't take too long from when we first see that car manufacturers can actually demonstrate the capabilities.