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> We're already paying so what practical difference does it make to the owner of that car? Vehicle accidents can extend past body damage and minor injuries and

> We're already paying so what practical difference does it make to the owner of that car? Vehicle accidents can extend past body damage and minor injuries and go well over the limits your auto insurance covers. As an example, if the software severely injures or kills a pedestrian in a crosswalk in a way that the driver couldn't have reacted, the liability is going to matter a _lot_ more than just paying off insurance. Frankly, self driving cars aren't going to be worth more than slightly better (or slightly more stressful) cruise control until the company actually assumes liability -- which no one has done, until (presumably) now. So Mercedes stepping up could be a big deal. Also... Does regular auto insurance cover the case where the driver has their hands off the wheel and software is in control?

tialaramex 3y ago
The self-driving taxis are, like other taxis, taking responsibility for their safety during the journey. Suppose Alice gets a Waymo to the bar, and Bob gets an Uber. On the way, bad luck they both crash into different idiots who don't think red lights apply to them. Neither Alice nor Bob are responsible. Waymo handles Alice's situation and I don't know whether Uber owns the problem or they put it on the driver, but they can't land it on Bob. Long before Waymo was available to the general paying customers, one of their demos was a blind man gets a free journey, because of course, no problem, blind people travel by taxi all the time, you don't need to see the traffic, the taxi driver does that, Waymo is just a taxi.
- diebeforei485 3y ago
  A lot of taxi drivers discriminate against people with disabilities (some uber drivers do this too, they see you with your cane or walker and just drive past and cancel). Perhaps except in San Francisco where paratransit is a majority of taxi fares. Robotaxis don't discriminate. You can get banned after the fact if you do prohibited things like snorting coke or having sex in the robotaxi, but they don't see a cane and assume you're not going to pay the fare.
diebeforei485 3y ago
> Also... Does regular auto insurance cover the case where the driver has their hands off the wheel and software is in control? Yes. If you're driving a Tesla, you're covered by your auto insurance even if it is in FSD mode.
- NegativeK 3y ago
  Tesla FSD is decidedly not level three, though. They're obviously working on it, but they're adamant about how it isn't hands free.

tialaramex 3y ago

The self-driving taxis are, like other taxis, taking responsibility for their safety during the journey. Suppose Alice gets a Waymo to the bar, and Bob gets an Uber. On the way, bad luck they both crash into different idiots who don't think red lights apply to them. Neither Alice nor Bob are responsible. Waymo handles Alice's situation and I don't know whether Uber owns the problem or they put it on the driver, but they can't land it on Bob. Long before Waymo was available to the general paying customers, one of their demos was a blind man gets a free journey, because of course, no problem, blind people travel by taxi all the time, you don't need to see the traffic, the taxi driver does that, Waymo is just a taxi.

diebeforei485 3y ago
A lot of taxi drivers discriminate against people with disabilities (some uber drivers do this too, they see you with your cane or walker and just drive past and cancel). Perhaps except in San Francisco where paratransit is a majority of taxi fares. Robotaxis don't discriminate. You can get banned after the fact if you do prohibited things like snorting coke or having sex in the robotaxi, but they don't see a cane and assume you're not going to pay the fare.

diebeforei485 3y ago

> Also... Does regular auto insurance cover the case where the driver has their hands off the wheel and software is in control? Yes. If you're driving a Tesla, you're covered by your auto insurance even if it is in FSD mode.

NegativeK 3y ago
Tesla FSD is decidedly not level three, though. They're obviously working on it, but they're adamant about how it isn't hands free.