4 ms·

Seems like cars get spooked by odd things in their paths just like cows, huh? Well, I see 2 aspects that make this a "good" failure scenario, regardless of how

Seems like cars get spooked by odd things in their paths just like cows, huh? Well, I see 2 aspects that make this a "good" failure scenario, regardless of how they solve it. First, having the sensor+algorithm interpret something conservatively as "should stop" for it rather than "ok to go through" at possible grave cost, is the right behavior. Second, this is already (as you can tell by the exceptional nature of the story) a very rural and special case where the driver should be driving alertly (and slowly) anyway. From the photo, this is not something meant to be gone over at high speed blindly. As for the cars going off the road, that needs more explanation as the only action cars should be applying automatically is braking, not turning.

sideshowb 6y ago
Oi! Having grown up around there I object to this being described as a special case; it's everyday driving conditions for a lot of people. :) Better built cattle grids appear on main roads with good visibility and it's not unreasonable to cross them at 40mph (thinking about it there may even be the occasional example people cross at 60). An anecdote from around 15 years back: the government considered closing the driving test centre in Minehead because there was no dual carriageway nearby on which learner drivers could demonstrate correct merging skills. Residents collectively replied that all the centres in London should be closed as they did not qualify drivers to deal with reversing down narrow lanes with sheep and mud on the road (...this is painfully evident if you're stuck behind an urbanite driver anywhere near Minehead in summer). Anyhoo, the test centre still operates today.
jimktrains2 6y ago
Emergency stops can be very dangerous, especially if there are people behind you or if the road is slippery. What makes you think that this is "very rural" or a special case? Why does it matter if it is rural -- should cars not work in non-urban environments? I have 100% never been around cattle enough to know for sure, but I was under the impression that cattle crossings didn't so much spook cows as are uncomfortable to cross and therefore they stay away.

sideshowb 6y ago

Oi! Having grown up around there I object to this being described as a special case; it's everyday driving conditions for a lot of people. :) Better built cattle grids appear on main roads with good visibility and it's not unreasonable to cross them at 40mph (thinking about it there may even be the occasional example people cross at 60). An anecdote from around 15 years back: the government considered closing the driving test centre in Minehead because there was no dual carriageway nearby on which learner drivers could demonstrate correct merging skills. Residents collectively replied that all the centres in London should be closed as they did not qualify drivers to deal with reversing down narrow lanes with sheep and mud on the road (...this is painfully evident if you're stuck behind an urbanite driver anywhere near Minehead in summer). Anyhoo, the test centre still operates today.

jimktrains2 6y ago

Emergency stops can be very dangerous, especially if there are people behind you or if the road is slippery. What makes you think that this is "very rural" or a special case? Why does it matter if it is rural -- should cars not work in non-urban environments? I have 100% never been around cattle enough to know for sure, but I was under the impression that cattle crossings didn't so much spook cows as are uncomfortable to cross and therefore they stay away.