7 ms·

>With autopilot engaged, I am monitoring everything - probably with more accuracy then if I was driving, due to the decreased cognitive load. This sounds like

>With autopilot engaged, I am monitoring everything - probably with more accuracy then if I was driving, due to the decreased cognitive load. This sounds like a false sense of security. I find it extremely difficult to believe that a typical human can maintain their attention glued to the road in a purely passive manner for hours on end. Even if you were paying attention, without your hands constantly on the steering wheel you would have a slowed reaction time where milliseconds matter. More importantly this kind of vigilance defeats the purpose of autopilot. I'm not necessarily saying you're doing anything dangerous since the autopilot function seems to be fairly safe, but your apologism comes across a bit like like an alcoholic claiming they drive better when drunk.

tristanb 7y ago
Cool - you're welcome to your opinion, but I disagree. I do the same in an airplane, though reaction time is less important.
- foepys 7y ago
  Since reaction time was GP main and only argument, I don't understand what your comparison to an airplane is supposed to tell us.
zaroth 7y ago
It's actually less exhausting than manual driving. With manual driving you have to focus predominantly on one specific task - keeping your car between the lines. Bends in the road, poorly drawn lines, irregularities in the road surface, gusts of wind, all conspire to make this task require constant attention. Look in the rear view mirror for a couple seconds and then look back ahead and you might find that you've drifted, etc. With AutoPilot the task has changed. You are no longer concerned with minute adjustments to the wheel, and you no longer have to maintain a constant high priority task of staying centered in the lines. Now, instead, you perform higher order functions of route planning, estimating traffic flow, observing other drivers and whether they are paying attention or drifting toward you, etc. So by no means are you passive at all. It's actually extremely engaging, but significantly less monotonous form of driving. I find it quite pleasant, and not at all hard to stay engaged. If I'm going to play a game on my phone, it's because I'm choosing to risk my life and the lives of the drivers/passengers around me, not because I couldn't handle looking out the window to pay attention.
- Fricken 7y ago
  Making an activity more boring does not help people to pay closer attention to it. Though not obvious in principle, it has been studied.
  - zaroth 7y ago
    My contention, and speaking from experience, is that AutoPilot makes driving less boring, and also less exhausting.
- docspace 7y ago
  This is why I’m such a strong critic of the vehicular operating habits of others (read: backseat driver). I don’t care about the lines, the lines are the least of our worries. STOP TAILGATING THAT TRUCK, DAVE.
- clairity 7y ago
  > "You are no longer concerned with minute adjustments to the wheel, and you no longer have to maintain a constant high priority task of staying centered in the lines. Now, instead, you perform higher order functions of route planning, estimating traffic flow, observing other drivers and whether they are paying attention or drifting toward you, etc." i dunno, if you have trouble doing both the minute adjustments (which is usually a mostly subconscious task) and the higher-order functions while driving, maybe you need more practice/training. there are 30-40k motor vehicle deaths per year in the US (and over a million worldwide). distracted driving is the main culprit (not speed, as most people assume). we should expect no less than this kind of active driving from every driver.
  - tristanb 7y ago
    Im not having trouble. It enables me to be less tired on a long trip, and as a result, have quicker reaction times than without. I'd highly encourage you to try it.
  - tristanb 7y ago
    FWIW I'm also a fairly experienced pilot, motorcyclist and I have had one driving accident of no fault in 18 years of driving.
stefan_ 7y ago
You know how it goes, every driver is better than the average driver. Much like in science, the ones who think they have it all figured out know the least.
jliptzin 7y ago
I think you should give it a try yourself. I use autopilot every day and I understand and agree with exactly what he is saying. I consider myself a very safe driver and my record proves that.
- ceejayoz 7y ago
  These sorts of claims are hard to evaluate. I've heard people claim to drive better drunk, and justify it with their perfect crash record. I remain fairly dubious.
  - bananabreakfast 7y ago
    If people who have never tried autopilot refute the claims of those that have with pithy aphorisms, I remain unconvinced.
    - ceejayoz 7y ago
      Do you treat "essential oils cured my cancer and depression" claims with similar credulity?
bananabreakfast 7y ago
This is an insane take on driving a car. And you've very clearly never tried autopilot. "Where milliseconds matter"? You are wildly overestimating the abilities of literally any driver. No one reacts that fast, in any situation.
- clouddrover 7y ago
  > "Where milliseconds matter"? You are wildly overestimating the abilities of literally any driver. No one reacts that fast, in any situation. Which is precisely the problem. When autopilot goes wrong at high speed the driver needs to react that quickly and that's an unrealistic expectation to put on the driver.
loa_in_ 7y ago
I would say that I do very much have an incentive to be extremely wary of what's going on ahead even when not driving: my safety, people's safety, children safety, insurance premiums, cost of vehicle repairs. How can you say there's any less reason to stay focused.

tristanb 7y ago

Cool - you're welcome to your opinion, but I disagree. I do the same in an airplane, though reaction time is less important.

foepys 7y ago
Since reaction time was GP main and only argument, I don't understand what your comparison to an airplane is supposed to tell us.

zaroth 7y ago

It's actually less exhausting than manual driving. With manual driving you have to focus predominantly on one specific task - keeping your car between the lines. Bends in the road, poorly drawn lines, irregularities in the road surface, gusts of wind, all conspire to make this task require constant attention. Look in the rear view mirror for a couple seconds and then look back ahead and you might find that you've drifted, etc. With AutoPilot the task has changed. You are no longer concerned with minute adjustments to the wheel, and you no longer have to maintain a constant high priority task of staying centered in the lines. Now, instead, you perform higher order functions of route planning, estimating traffic flow, observing other drivers and whether they are paying attention or drifting toward you, etc. So by no means are you passive at all. It's actually extremely engaging, but significantly less monotonous form of driving. I find it quite pleasant, and not at all hard to stay engaged. If I'm going to play a game on my phone, it's because I'm choosing to risk my life and the lives of the drivers/passengers around me, not because I couldn't handle looking out the window to pay attention.

Fricken 7y ago
Making an activity more boring does not help people to pay closer attention to it. Though not obvious in principle, it has been studied.
- zaroth 7y ago
  My contention, and speaking from experience, is that AutoPilot makes driving less boring, and also less exhausting.
docspace 7y ago
This is why I’m such a strong critic of the vehicular operating habits of others (read: backseat driver). I don’t care about the lines, the lines are the least of our worries. STOP TAILGATING THAT TRUCK, DAVE.
clairity 7y ago
> "You are no longer concerned with minute adjustments to the wheel, and you no longer have to maintain a constant high priority task of staying centered in the lines. Now, instead, you perform higher order functions of route planning, estimating traffic flow, observing other drivers and whether they are paying attention or drifting toward you, etc." i dunno, if you have trouble doing both the minute adjustments (which is usually a mostly subconscious task) and the higher-order functions while driving, maybe you need more practice/training. there are 30-40k motor vehicle deaths per year in the US (and over a million worldwide). distracted driving is the main culprit (not speed, as most people assume). we should expect no less than this kind of active driving from every driver.
- tristanb 7y ago
  Im not having trouble. It enables me to be less tired on a long trip, and as a result, have quicker reaction times than without. I'd highly encourage you to try it.
- tristanb 7y ago
  FWIW I'm also a fairly experienced pilot, motorcyclist and I have had one driving accident of no fault in 18 years of driving.

stefan_ 7y ago

You know how it goes, every driver is better than the average driver. Much like in science, the ones who think they have it all figured out know the least.

jliptzin 7y ago

I think you should give it a try yourself. I use autopilot every day and I understand and agree with exactly what he is saying. I consider myself a very safe driver and my record proves that.

ceejayoz 7y ago
These sorts of claims are hard to evaluate. I've heard people claim to drive better drunk, and justify it with their perfect crash record. I remain fairly dubious.
- bananabreakfast 7y ago
  If people who have never tried autopilot refute the claims of those that have with pithy aphorisms, I remain unconvinced.
  - ceejayoz 7y ago
    Do you treat "essential oils cured my cancer and depression" claims with similar credulity?

bananabreakfast 7y ago

This is an insane take on driving a car. And you've very clearly never tried autopilot. "Where milliseconds matter"? You are wildly overestimating the abilities of literally any driver. No one reacts that fast, in any situation.

clouddrover 7y ago
> "Where milliseconds matter"? You are wildly overestimating the abilities of literally any driver. No one reacts that fast, in any situation. Which is precisely the problem. When autopilot goes wrong at high speed the driver needs to react that quickly and that's an unrealistic expectation to put on the driver.

loa_in_ 7y ago

I would say that I do very much have an incentive to be extremely wary of what's going on ahead even when not driving: my safety, people's safety, children safety, insurance premiums, cost of vehicle repairs. How can you say there's any less reason to stay focused.