5 ms·

A X,000lb car going 38mph takes a certain amount of time and distance to stop, even with a perfect reaction time. If she really did step out in front of the car

A X,000lb car going 38mph takes a certain amount of time and distance to stop, even with a perfect reaction time. If she really did step out in front of the car with less than that distance to spare, than there wasn’t much to be done, sadly.

portofcall 9y ago
https://www.theverge.com/2018/3/19/17140936/uber-self-driving-crash-death-homeless-arizona https://www.theverge.com/2018/3/19/17140936/uber-self-drivin... The brakes didn’t even start to engage. Just how fast do you think this woman moved exactly?
- goshx 9y ago
  If she was behind another parked car and stepped in front of the car that hit her, she could have been at a normal walking pace. The police stated that the car did not show signs of slowing down before the accident. I doubt the police had the records from the car’s system.
  - portofcall 9y ago
    I doubt the police had the records from the car’s system. With all due respect, then why are they using their bully pulpit to blame this woman for her death at this early stage? The vehicle made no attempt to stop, which seems worrying if the sensors and algorithms were working as intended, so maybe it would be worth looking at those systems.
    - monkpit 9y ago
      I think you are confusing the legal term “at fault” with the subjective term of “blame”.
    - goshx 9y ago
      How does the police determine that a vehicle "made no attempt to stop" today, without video and sensor data?
      - portofcall 9y ago
        I don’t know, but made no attempt to stop is according to the police. Uber’s self-driving car was traveling at a speed of 40 mph when it struck a 49-year-old woman in Arizona Sunday night, and did not show significant signs of slowing down, police said today. https://www.theverge.com/2018/3/19/17140936/uber-self-driving-crash-death-homeless-arizona https://www.theverge.com/2018/3/19/17140936/uber-self-drivin... If you’re saying that the whole “blame it on the homeless lady” routine is premature the im with you though.
        goshx 9y ago
        Yes, I think it is premature. What I am trying to say is that I don't think the police used the proper data from the car to give the results. If they were looking for break marks from the tires on the road, for instance (I have no idea what method they use), that doesn't necessarily mean the car wasn't breaking.
      - tzs 9y ago
        Where the skid marks start (if there are skid marks at all), probably. Witness reports might help, too.
        lagadu 9y ago
        A modern car that makes skidmarks under heavy breaking is a car with a broken brake and safety system. Modern ABS brakes actuate fast enough that they don't leave skidmarks under maximum braking.
      - megy 9y ago
        The same way they do it now??
        goshx 9y ago
        That’s what I am asking. How do they do it now?
      - stevenwoo 9y ago
- treis 9y ago
  There's miles of difference between the brakes not engaging and not showing significant signs of slowing down. It's enormously unlikely that the Uber car failed this badly. The most plausible scenario is that the car did brake but just didn't leave skid marks. The car not recognizing a human in its path would be a shocking failure.
  - portofcall 9y ago
    Just an update, the Uber car did fail that badly, and it was a shocking failure.
danso 9y ago
But isn't this the reason why most drivers, when seeing someone walking along a median (with a bike full of junk, no less) or even biking in a dedicated lane, will move into another lane to give some clearance? It doesn't sound like there were any other cars near the Uber AV, and it was relatively far from the intersection (in case it needed to make a left turn). So I'm wondering why it didn't make the decision to change into the right lane temporarily to make it less likely to be surprised by unexpected abrupt behavior from the pedestrian.
- brokenmachine 9y ago
  It didn't even attempt to brake, so likely it never had any idea the person was there. Also I know I wouldn't be programming my self-driving car to jump to a different lane every time it saw a pedestrian in the distance. But then again I wouldn't be programming my self-driving car to speed either...

portofcall 9y ago

https://www.theverge.com/2018/3/19/17140936/uber-self-driving-crash-death-homeless-arizona https://www.theverge.com/2018/3/19/17140936/uber-self-drivin... The brakes didn’t even start to engage. Just how fast do you think this woman moved exactly?

goshx 9y ago
If she was behind another parked car and stepped in front of the car that hit her, she could have been at a normal walking pace. The police stated that the car did not show signs of slowing down before the accident. I doubt the police had the records from the car’s system.
- portofcall 9y ago
  I doubt the police had the records from the car’s system. With all due respect, then why are they using their bully pulpit to blame this woman for her death at this early stage? The vehicle made no attempt to stop, which seems worrying if the sensors and algorithms were working as intended, so maybe it would be worth looking at those systems.
  - monkpit 9y ago
    I think you are confusing the legal term “at fault” with the subjective term of “blame”.
  - goshx 9y ago
    How does the police determine that a vehicle "made no attempt to stop" today, without video and sensor data?
    - portofcall 9y ago
      I don’t know, but made no attempt to stop is according to the police. Uber’s self-driving car was traveling at a speed of 40 mph when it struck a 49-year-old woman in Arizona Sunday night, and did not show significant signs of slowing down, police said today. https://www.theverge.com/2018/3/19/17140936/uber-self-driving-crash-death-homeless-arizona https://www.theverge.com/2018/3/19/17140936/uber-self-drivin... If you’re saying that the whole “blame it on the homeless lady” routine is premature the im with you though.
      - goshx 9y ago
        Yes, I think it is premature. What I am trying to say is that I don't think the police used the proper data from the car to give the results. If they were looking for break marks from the tires on the road, for instance (I have no idea what method they use), that doesn't necessarily mean the car wasn't breaking.
    - tzs 9y ago
      Where the skid marks start (if there are skid marks at all), probably. Witness reports might help, too.
      - lagadu 9y ago
        A modern car that makes skidmarks under heavy breaking is a car with a broken brake and safety system. Modern ABS brakes actuate fast enough that they don't leave skidmarks under maximum braking.
    - megy 9y ago
      The same way they do it now??
      - goshx 9y ago
        That’s what I am asking. How do they do it now?
    - stevenwoo 9y ago
treis 9y ago
There's miles of difference between the brakes not engaging and not showing significant signs of slowing down. It's enormously unlikely that the Uber car failed this badly. The most plausible scenario is that the car did brake but just didn't leave skid marks. The car not recognizing a human in its path would be a shocking failure.
- portofcall 9y ago
  Just an update, the Uber car did fail that badly, and it was a shocking failure.

danso 9y ago

But isn't this the reason why most drivers, when seeing someone walking along a median (with a bike full of junk, no less) or even biking in a dedicated lane, will move into another lane to give some clearance? It doesn't sound like there were any other cars near the Uber AV, and it was relatively far from the intersection (in case it needed to make a left turn). So I'm wondering why it didn't make the decision to change into the right lane temporarily to make it less likely to be surprised by unexpected abrupt behavior from the pedestrian.

brokenmachine 9y ago
It didn't even attempt to brake, so likely it never had any idea the person was there. Also I know I wouldn't be programming my self-driving car to jump to a different lane every time it saw a pedestrian in the distance. But then again I wouldn't be programming my self-driving car to speed either...