4 ms·

Biggest factor to control for is drunk driving, which is ~30% of all deaths IIRC.

• m_mueller 9y ago
  Good point. I wonder whether the ratio of drunks behind autopilot wheels is different than average. Could be lower (because richer) or higher (because richer).
  • usrusr 9y ago
    There could easily be more than just a wealth differential, e.g. people who are more are of their emissions impact might also be be more aware of intoxication impact. I'm any case, "statistically more safe" is a weak argument, e.g. we would be terrified of boarding a plane if they were merely statistically more safe than driving (by a small margin).
    • swebs 9y ago
      >e.g. we would be terrified of boarding a plane if they were merely statistically more safe than driving Don't know why you're treating that as a hypothetical. Many people are terrified of flying and it is safer than driving.
      • yladiz 9y ago
        What that commenter is getting at is that the term "statistically more safe" is meaningless because it can be such a wide net of meaning, e.g. a very small margin (1%) or a large margin (50%).
• icc97 9y ago
  It's 28% in 2016 according to NHTSA [0], 10,497 deaths. Certainly auto-pilot is worth it if the driver is drunk. I wish that all cars were fitted with alcohol measuring devices so that the cars won't start if you're over the limit. Drink driving is still a massive problem in Belgium where I live. Although you get severely fined (thousands of euros) it's up to a judge to decide if you should have your licence taken away [1]. Typically you have to sit by the side of the road for a few hours then you're allowed to continue. In the UK it is a minimum 1 year ban. [0]: https://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/drunk-driving https://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/drunk-driving [1]: http://archive.etsc.eu/documents/C.pdf http://archive.etsc.eu/documents/C.pdf