2 ms·

What I find puzzling is that I keep hearing people say that it's impossible for people to stay alert while not being the driver, when there's actually a pretty

by lhorie 6y ago

What I find puzzling is that I keep hearing people say that it's impossible for people to stay alert while not being the driver, when there's actually a pretty popular term to describe that very thing: a backseat driver[1]. If you go on a long multi-day road trip, you might even end up relying on a passenger's feedback in a moment of tiredness. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Back-seat_driver https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Back-seat_driver

brokenmachine 6y ago
Did you actually read that page? A backseat driver doesn't trust the actual driver. >A backseat driver may be uncomfortable with the skills of the driver, feel out of control since they are not driving the vehicle Are you saying that the meatbag in a "self-driving car" is equivalent to a backseat driver? Because if you are, then "self-driving cars" will never be viable because the humans inside don't actually trust them.
- lhorie 6y ago
  Trust is beside the point. The actual point is that they are able to pay attention to the road, even for prolonged amounts of time, and react to perceived danger, despite not being the ones who are actually in control of the car. The claim I'm disputing is the one that says people are somehow incapable of paying attention to the road for extended periods of time unless they are in control of the vehicle. I might agree that a reaction might be jerky and panicky, but then again, they would by definition be so regardless, due to the unexpected nature of accidents
  - brokenmachine 6y ago
    So other road users' safety is reliant on jerky and panicky responses to perceived danger as well as real emergencies. That sounds like a nice safe system. For the record, I don't agree. I feel that the average person who would choose to use a self-driving will tend to be overly relaxed and trusting, not what I'd call a backseat driver. The kind of person who is a backseat driver wouldn't trust the car's driving and would prefer to control it themselves, and thus wouldn't be using the self-driving feature in the first place.

by lhorie 6y ago

brokenmachine 6y ago

Did you actually read that page? A backseat driver doesn't trust the actual driver. >A backseat driver may be uncomfortable with the skills of the driver, feel out of control since they are not driving the vehicle Are you saying that the meatbag in a "self-driving car" is equivalent to a backseat driver? Because if you are, then "self-driving cars" will never be viable because the humans inside don't actually trust them.

lhorie 6y ago
Trust is beside the point. The actual point is that they are able to pay attention to the road, even for prolonged amounts of time, and react to perceived danger, despite not being the ones who are actually in control of the car. The claim I'm disputing is the one that says people are somehow incapable of paying attention to the road for extended periods of time unless they are in control of the vehicle. I might agree that a reaction might be jerky and panicky, but then again, they would by definition be so regardless, due to the unexpected nature of accidents
- brokenmachine 6y ago
  So other road users' safety is reliant on jerky and panicky responses to perceived danger as well as real emergencies. That sounds like a nice safe system. For the record, I don't agree. I feel that the average person who would choose to use a self-driving will tend to be overly relaxed and trusting, not what I'd call a backseat driver. The kind of person who is a backseat driver wouldn't trust the car's driving and would prefer to control it themselves, and thus wouldn't be using the self-driving feature in the first place.