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> Why can a private for profit company "test" their systems on the public roads? I mean, this is the way cars have always operated. It is somehow any different
by megy 9y ago
> Why can a private for profit company "test" their systems on the public roads?
I mean, this is the way cars have always operated. It is somehow any different to let them "test" there brake system, there acceleration systems? Car companies have always been able to do whatever they want, who cares about the deaths.
For some reason, when it comes to roads, we all just accept a certain amount of deaths each year. Over a million people are killed every year around the world, up to 40,000 in the US alone. That is acceptable according to every car driver.
- hkmurakami 9y agoCar companies have (multiple) private tracks that they stress test their vehicles on. Car companies are extremely risk averse. Public road testing for something safety related is going to be very late stage in development/testing, if at all.
- adrianratnapala 9y agoSome level of integration, testing always has to meet the real world. Maybe in IT we would call a "canary" instead of a test. I once had a colleague who had been a test driver for a major European car firm. His job was to drive cars around in real traffic. Self-driving cars need this all the more, since most of the hard and scary stuff is the integration of many systems and how they deal with unexpected scenarios. And worse still -- in a traditional car, you had an expert test-driver like my friend who could, say, take evasive action if the brakes didn't work. But in these cars, the driver is the system-under test.
- oh_sigh 9y agoGoogle at least from what I read has all of that.
- megy 9y ago> Car companies have (multiple) private tracks that they stress test their vehicles on. Car companies are extremely risk averse. Public road testing for something safety related is going to be very late stage in development/testing, if at all. Yes, and so do these guys. They might be somewhat risk averse, but lets not pretend they have in the past made sacrifices that have cost lives (Pinto, etc...) and there are constant recalls going on.
- noir_lord 9y ago> That is acceptable according to every car driver. All of them, I mean you took a poll? that must have taken a while. My understanding (as a non-US resident) is that parts of the US are built around the assumption you drive.
- megy 9y ago> All of them, I mean you took a poll? that must have taken a while. If someone wants to pretend it is not acceptable while still driving, that is just silly.
- totalZero 9y ago> parts of the US are built around the assumption you drive Yes, this is 100% true. Arizona included. It's difficult, usually impossible, to buy-out of driving (or being driven) in most places in the USA. Ask DART why rapid transit ridership in the Dallas area is falling despite a growing population and a billion-dollar annual budget.