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Like most accidents, there were multiple factors: 1. Uber tests immature self-driving software on public roads. 2. Uber reduced number of safety drivers from 2
by cameldrv 7y ago
Like most accidents, there were multiple factors:
1. Uber tests immature self-driving software on public roads.
2. Uber reduced number of safety drivers from 2 to 1.
3. Uber hired a convicted felon (attempted armed robbery) to do this job.
4. Single, convicted felon safety driver is watching Hulu instead of looking out the window.
Sure, being a safety driver is a boring job, but there are lots of boring jobs that require careful attention, and people manage to do them.
It's not reasonable to expect the general public to reliably monitor their self driving car, but it is very reasonable to expect a professional safety driver in a prototype car to not watch Hulu.
- journalctl 7y agoWhat does having attempted armed robbery have to do with this?
- deleted 7y ago[deleted]
- cgriswald 7y agoI worked with a convicted first-degree murderer and strangely she was capable of answering phones and filing papers (and she didn’t kill any of us).
- cameldrv 7y agoBecause the job is boring yet safety critical, you need someone who is conscientious. You need someone who follows the rules and tries their best to live up to their responsibilities. Committing an armed robbery is basically the exact opposite of this. You see the result. It's not that she was looking out the window and zoned out and started daydreaming accidentally. She deliberately made the choice to watch TV on her phone. The car was not legal nor safe to drive without a safety driver monitoring, but she was incapable of providing any monitoring because she was watching TV.
- journalctl 7y agoSo what about all of the careless, lazy people I’ve worked with over the years who didn’t have armed robbery convictions? Maybe a past crime isn’t a good predictor of future work ability.
- cameldrv 7y agoI didn’t say “hire everyone who isn’t an armed robber.” I said “don’t hire armed robbers for this job.” Unfortunately past crimes can be good predictors of future work unreliability.
- rhinoceraptor 7y agoThe point remains, the job they’re asking the safety driver to do is incompatible with human attention.
- elil17 7y agoRight, which is why every other company uses two safety drivers so they can cover for eachother when distracted
- cameldrv 7y agoPeople do it. It's not necessarily easy, but they do. For example: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Orders_for_Sentries https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Orders_for_Sentries