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You're assuming that the occupants will have control of the things. Once you leave the ground autopilot gets a lot easier as you have more space/visibility and

You're assuming that the occupants will have control of the things. Once you leave the ground autopilot gets a lot easier as you have more space/visibility and fewer random obstacles. And a car is going to be just as dangerous to you flying off the road into the side of your house as one falling from the sky slowed slightly by a parachute.

tomc1985 10y ago
I beg to differ. There is a mile or two of snaky two-lanes roads with unguarded hairpin curves whose edges lead down small embankments with houses (some protected by trees, others not) on my commute home. Despite the high traffic (it's a feeder road connecting an interstate with a boulevard) and the fact that it consistently backs up during rush hour, plus there will frequently be (crazy!!) pedestrians walking up its sides... and I have never, ever seen a single accident or emergency response vehicle because not just because some guy couldn't complete the turn, but at all. No smashed houses, nothing. Sure it's one example but I would argue that a busy road next door and a busy skyway overhead are entirely different things with very different risk profiles. IF the vehicles are self-driving that perhaps it will be safer. I don't think current autopilot technology can handle crowded, low-speed scenarios that you'd see in such a world. Maybe the tech catches up, maybe not
- sanswork 10y ago
  http://abc11.com/news/raleigh-man-fed-up-after-house-hit-by-car-for-6th-time/1469768/ http://abc11.com/news/raleigh-man-fed-up-after-house-hit-by-... >I don't think current autopilot technology can handle crowded, low-speed scenarios that you'd see in such a world. Why don't you think they can?
  - tomc1985 10y ago
    Your link is just one example, like mine. Guard rails exist for a reason, of course, but I still believe that living under a skyway will be far more risky than living next to a busy road. As for autopilot tech, we're still in the very early stages for autonomous navigation. Absent a central controller or cloud (the presence of which is something I vehemently oppose) we're still learning to pilot vehicles in a mostly-2D plane. Throw in the third dimension, and all the safety stuff that that will entail, and you end up with a plurality of political, engineering, and safety risks. All it will take is one tragic loss of life writ large to kill the industry and set back plans 50 years.
    - sanswork 10y ago
      Yes, that was my point. There are plenty of windy roads with no accidents and plenty with lots of accidents. When the accident happens though the problem is the same. A big chunk of metal moving through your house at speed. >but I still believe that living under a skyway will be far more risky than living next to a busy road. Part of this I'm guessing is that you're still imagining a bunch of drunk, or aggressive or just plain bad drivers flying over your head.
      - tomc1985 10y ago
        We am already surrounded by drunk, aggressive, and just-plain-bad drivers. I am not so sure technology will make them simply go away.
        sanswork 10y ago
        >I am not so sure technology will make them simply go away. Once they aren't in control of the vehicle it won't matter if they are drunk or aggressive or bad drivers. The people will still be there but it won't matter because they don't have any control over the vehicle.
      - deleted 10y ago
        [deleted]

tomc1985 10y ago

I beg to differ. There is a mile or two of snaky two-lanes roads with unguarded hairpin curves whose edges lead down small embankments with houses (some protected by trees, others not) on my commute home. Despite the high traffic (it's a feeder road connecting an interstate with a boulevard) and the fact that it consistently backs up during rush hour, plus there will frequently be (crazy!!) pedestrians walking up its sides... and I have never, ever seen a single accident or emergency response vehicle because not just because some guy couldn't complete the turn, but at all. No smashed houses, nothing. Sure it's one example but I would argue that a busy road next door and a busy skyway overhead are entirely different things with very different risk profiles. IF the vehicles are self-driving that perhaps it will be safer. I don't think current autopilot technology can handle crowded, low-speed scenarios that you'd see in such a world. Maybe the tech catches up, maybe not

sanswork 10y ago
http://abc11.com/news/raleigh-man-fed-up-after-house-hit-by-car-for-6th-time/1469768/ http://abc11.com/news/raleigh-man-fed-up-after-house-hit-by-... >I don't think current autopilot technology can handle crowded, low-speed scenarios that you'd see in such a world. Why don't you think they can?
- tomc1985 10y ago
  Your link is just one example, like mine. Guard rails exist for a reason, of course, but I still believe that living under a skyway will be far more risky than living next to a busy road. As for autopilot tech, we're still in the very early stages for autonomous navigation. Absent a central controller or cloud (the presence of which is something I vehemently oppose) we're still learning to pilot vehicles in a mostly-2D plane. Throw in the third dimension, and all the safety stuff that that will entail, and you end up with a plurality of political, engineering, and safety risks. All it will take is one tragic loss of life writ large to kill the industry and set back plans 50 years.
  - sanswork 10y ago
    Yes, that was my point. There are plenty of windy roads with no accidents and plenty with lots of accidents. When the accident happens though the problem is the same. A big chunk of metal moving through your house at speed. >but I still believe that living under a skyway will be far more risky than living next to a busy road. Part of this I'm guessing is that you're still imagining a bunch of drunk, or aggressive or just plain bad drivers flying over your head.
    - tomc1985 10y ago
      We am already surrounded by drunk, aggressive, and just-plain-bad drivers. I am not so sure technology will make them simply go away.
      - sanswork 10y ago
        >I am not so sure technology will make them simply go away. Once they aren't in control of the vehicle it won't matter if they are drunk or aggressive or bad drivers. The people will still be there but it won't matter because they don't have any control over the vehicle.
    - deleted 10y ago
      [deleted]