4 ms·

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned one of the biggest issues with general acceptance of this system: Police will be able to force anyone to pull over anywhere,

by palish 16y ago

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned one of the biggest issues with general acceptance of this system: Police will be able to force anyone to pull over anywhere, at any time, and for any or no reason. Even though they can do that now, people still decide to pull over. They are not forced to. And what if there becomes a database that police forces compile, showing the history of movements of everyone? That database could potentially be leaked. I think the privacy implications of this should get at least some thought.

wriq 16y ago
"Even though they can do that now, people still decide to pull over. They are not forced to." If you decide not to, then you are forced to. Unless you have Jason Bourne-esque driving abilities.
- palish 16y ago
  Reality isn't really the issue. People's perception of reality is what will determine whether this system is accepted.
abecedarius 16y ago
It's kind of depressing to see a blithe assumption that the police will be given that kind of power, and that if they are, nobody will hack their own cars. Granted the first assumption is plausible.
- code_duck 16y ago
  So, like gun control, will a coming political battle be for 'auto control'?
code_duck 16y ago
When a police officer indicates you must stop your car, you don't really have a choice currently. They doubtlessly will do their best to force you to stop, and if you choose not to, you will be chased, possibly collided with, and will likely end up with a gun pointed at you. As far as what happens after you do stop without causing an incident, you do have a choice, somewhat. I do agree that this could create an environment where authority is in absolute control of the movements of citizens, a power which could (and surely would) be abused.
jasonkester 16y ago
I read this backward the first time, because the way you say it really doesn't make any sense. Police need a reason to pull you over, and a car that's autonomously driven by a computer that won't allow it to drive at an illegal speed or unsafe manner is essentially immune to routine traffic stops. Provably so, because it has telemetry and video demonstrating that it's done nothing wrong. So unless you manage to get the model with the broken tail light, these cars will actually make the police less happy because they can't pull people over randomly anymore.
philwelch 16y ago
Since you're recycling your material (http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1776383 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1776383), I will too (http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1776429 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1776429). I don't know how many episodes of World's Wildest Police Videos you've seen, but police can already force you to pull over anywhere, at any time, and for any or no reason. Spike strips, PIT maneuvers, etc. Letting them pull you over with a remote command would be a huge improvement--high speed chases are unsafe for all involved and (due to frustration and adrenalin) increase the risk of police brutality. Of course, with computer-controlled cars, you can eliminate traffic infractions and hence most if any need for police to pull you over anyway.

by palish 16y ago

wriq 16y ago

"Even though they can do that now, people still decide to pull over. They are not forced to." If you decide not to, then you are forced to. Unless you have Jason Bourne-esque driving abilities.

palish 16y ago
Reality isn't really the issue. People's perception of reality is what will determine whether this system is accepted.

abecedarius 16y ago

It's kind of depressing to see a blithe assumption that the police will be given that kind of power, and that if they are, nobody will hack their own cars. Granted the first assumption is plausible.

code_duck 16y ago
So, like gun control, will a coming political battle be for 'auto control'?

code_duck 16y ago

When a police officer indicates you must stop your car, you don't really have a choice currently. They doubtlessly will do their best to force you to stop, and if you choose not to, you will be chased, possibly collided with, and will likely end up with a gun pointed at you. As far as what happens after you do stop without causing an incident, you do have a choice, somewhat. I do agree that this could create an environment where authority is in absolute control of the movements of citizens, a power which could (and surely would) be abused.

jasonkester 16y ago

I read this backward the first time, because the way you say it really doesn't make any sense. Police need a reason to pull you over, and a car that's autonomously driven by a computer that won't allow it to drive at an illegal speed or unsafe manner is essentially immune to routine traffic stops. Provably so, because it has telemetry and video demonstrating that it's done nothing wrong. So unless you manage to get the model with the broken tail light, these cars will actually make the police less happy because they can't pull people over randomly anymore.

philwelch 16y ago

Since you're recycling your material (http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1776383 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1776383), I will too (http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1776429 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1776429). I don't know how many episodes of World's Wildest Police Videos you've seen, but police can already force you to pull over anywhere, at any time, and for any or no reason. Spike strips, PIT maneuvers, etc. Letting them pull you over with a remote command would be a huge improvement--high speed chases are unsafe for all involved and (due to frustration and adrenalin) increase the risk of police brutality. Of course, with computer-controlled cars, you can eliminate traffic infractions and hence most if any need for police to pull you over anyway.