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I think the more difficult problems are if the car crashes while under computer control, who is at fault. Also, when a car crashes under human control, why didn

I think the more difficult problems are if the car crashes while under computer control, who is at fault. Also, when a car crashes under human control, why didn't the software take over to prevent that, are car companies liable for that?

CM30 8y ago
Well then it'd require an investigation after the fact. If the computer has been modified, it's the driver or garage's fault. If it hasn't been modified, then it's the company's fault. So in most cases, the likes of Tesla or Uber or whoever pay the other party's insurance. If it can be proven that a certain programmer or team screwed up, then they're personally held liable and sent to prison if necessary. That'd certain encourage decent standards here. Do your job poorly and have it tied to your actions, and you go down for 20 years.
- phyller 8y ago
  That sounds like a really bad idea. Pay the insurance, fine. That's a good idea actually. Instead of paying your insurance company, you pay the company that built the software for insurance. Then the software/insurance company pays for any damages caused by the car. The best software could offer the cheapest insurance. But put developers in prison for 20 years because the car crashed, that's untenable. You wouldn't have decent standards, you just wouldn't have anything at all. What kind of developer would put themselves in that position? Everyone makes mistakes. All complicated software has bugs. You would only have software made by fools, and marketed by fools, that was much more dangerous. If someone makes software that reduces accidents from 10% of drivers per year to 0.1%, they still cause 100,000 accidents a year in the USA, maybe a few thousand fatalities. Give them the electric chair right? If you are going to punish them for the mistakes, will you reward them commensurately for success? For every life they save, can you give them a life?

CM30 8y ago

Well then it'd require an investigation after the fact. If the computer has been modified, it's the driver or garage's fault. If it hasn't been modified, then it's the company's fault. So in most cases, the likes of Tesla or Uber or whoever pay the other party's insurance. If it can be proven that a certain programmer or team screwed up, then they're personally held liable and sent to prison if necessary. That'd certain encourage decent standards here. Do your job poorly and have it tied to your actions, and you go down for 20 years.

phyller 8y ago
That sounds like a really bad idea. Pay the insurance, fine. That's a good idea actually. Instead of paying your insurance company, you pay the company that built the software for insurance. Then the software/insurance company pays for any damages caused by the car. The best software could offer the cheapest insurance. But put developers in prison for 20 years because the car crashed, that's untenable. You wouldn't have decent standards, you just wouldn't have anything at all. What kind of developer would put themselves in that position? Everyone makes mistakes. All complicated software has bugs. You would only have software made by fools, and marketed by fools, that was much more dangerous. If someone makes software that reduces accidents from 10% of drivers per year to 0.1%, they still cause 100,000 accidents a year in the USA, maybe a few thousand fatalities. Give them the electric chair right? If you are going to punish them for the mistakes, will you reward them commensurately for success? For every life they save, can you give them a life?