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This discussion reminds me an awful lot of Don Normans example regarding human error: > Air Force: It was pilot error - the pilot failed to take corrective act

This discussion reminds me an awful lot of Don Normans example regarding human error: > Air Force: It was pilot error - the pilot failed to take corrective action > Inspector General: That's because the pilot was probably unconscious. > Air Force: So you agree, the pilot failed to correct the problem. We can go and blame the driver all day long but that will not actually solve anything. Was it neglect? Probably-maybe, I'm not a lawyer. But that is not the point. Why did the driver look at her phone? How can we prevent that? What other, similar failure modes are there? We did this dance with pilots, truck drivers, forklift operators, life guards, factory workers and god knows how many more. It is frankly quite disappointing that HN is overwhelmingly like "this time, we'll just blame the operator!"...

tobyhinloopen 6y ago
The operator was watching a video on her phone. That’s not failure to take action, that’s intentionally putting yourself in a position to not take action
- TeMPOraL 6y ago
  It's also a well-known and completely predictable behavior for humans. In just about every other job requiring constant vigilance, there are multiple factors mitigating this failure mode (shift lengths counted in minutes, multiple observers, automated attention checking devices that shut down the machine if not reacted to, other employees ensuring the observers pay attention, etc.). Uber should absolutely get the blame for creating this situation in the first place; letting a self-driving car out with only a backup driver as safety, and with her phone on her to boot, should not even be allowed.
crazygringo 6y ago
> Why did the driver look at her phone? Because she chose to watch a TV show instead of performing her job. Yes, I'm absolutely blaming the operator on this one. I don't see how making that conscious choice, of your own free will, when your entire job is safety supervision, is anything but criminal negligence.

tobyhinloopen 6y ago

The operator was watching a video on her phone. That’s not failure to take action, that’s intentionally putting yourself in a position to not take action

TeMPOraL 6y ago
It's also a well-known and completely predictable behavior for humans. In just about every other job requiring constant vigilance, there are multiple factors mitigating this failure mode (shift lengths counted in minutes, multiple observers, automated attention checking devices that shut down the machine if not reacted to, other employees ensuring the observers pay attention, etc.). Uber should absolutely get the blame for creating this situation in the first place; letting a self-driving car out with only a backup driver as safety, and with her phone on her to boot, should not even be allowed.

crazygringo 6y ago

> Why did the driver look at her phone? Because she chose to watch a TV show instead of performing her job. Yes, I'm absolutely blaming the operator on this one. I don't see how making that conscious choice, of your own free will, when your entire job is safety supervision, is anything but criminal negligence.