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As a motorcyclist, I really hope that all the upcoming variations of autonomous vehicles are heavily tested in all conceivable edge cases. Also, as a motorcycl

As a motorcyclist, I really hope that all the upcoming variations of autonomous vehicles are heavily tested in all conceivable edge cases. Also, as a motorcyclist, I welcome the well-tested, never-tiring, unimpaired, highly predictable, self-driving AIs! :-) With all manufacturers pursuing their own AI, though, I wonder if we'll have a future that echoes the past. If, say, Volvo has sub-optimal testing, perhaps 'ovlov' (an old Usenet joke - Volvo in your mirrors) will again become known as the bane of motorcyclists. Will Toyota launch ads bragging about their higher AI safety rating than Volvo?

excuse-me 14y ago
On the other hand a pair of bikers could start a new sport of Volvo-sniping. Assuming the algorithm is something like - steer away from another vehicle that appears in your lane - your could 'herd' lines of Volvos into each other. Ob biker joke - what's the 2nd most dangerous thing on the road? A Volvo driver in a hat. What's the most dangerous ? A Volvo driver without a hat - because he is driving around trying to remember where he left it.
tadfisher 14y ago
As a bicyclist, I echo your hopes and concerns. I'll also add a hope that the most common car-bike accidents (right- and left-hooking) are tested for extensively, as they require a bit more math and foresight than simply recognizing that I'm there.
- warfangle 14y ago
  I'd like it if cars had a warning system for when you open the street-side door, as well. I know far too many people who have gotten broken bones by having someone open their door unexpectedly into the bike lane.
  - dsl 14y ago
    What I want is a stick or something that comes out near the bumper to block the path of bikes to protect my passengers. If they ignore it, they get deflected off into the sidewalk. I try to pull as close as I can to block bikes from getting between me and the curb and still have idiots trying to do 20mph in an impossibly tiny gap.
    - tadfisher 14y ago
      Filtering is legal in many places, and municipal governments explicitly enable this by placing bike lanes on the curbside of auto traffic. So if you live in one of these municipalities, all you are accomplishing is impeding the flow of bicycle traffic, making it actively dangerous for bicycles to follow the law, and worst of all perpetuating the so-called "war" between bicycle and automobile traffic. Disclaimer: I avoid the issue by travelling in the center of the auto traffic lane. If you don't like that, tough luck.
  - ceejayoz 14y ago
    A couple second delay before my car permits me to open the door? No thanks...
    - mediaman 14y ago
      It wouldn't have to lock it. A simple warning LED located on the upper part of the door at eye-level that lights up and blinks when an oncoming cyclist from the rear is detected would prevent a lot of accidental injuries.
    - danielharan 14y ago
      Jesus. A thing that warns you that you're about to injure another human being, and you're upset you might have to wait 2 seconds? I hope that was sarcasm on your part...
      - Bleys 14y ago
        I think their issue was not having control over when they leave the vehicle. If the locks are computer controlled, there's risk of a false alarm preventing your exit, potentially in an emergency. I agree that this is better left to a warning indicator.
        ceejayoz 14y ago
        Yep, that's exactly my issue. Warning light is fine, lockout is not. Too many situations in which a lockout would be dangerous - false positives/failure of the system locking me into the car, carjackers taking advantage of it by parking a bike behind me, etc.
- jacquesm 14y ago
  Even when a car is stationary you still run the risk of being 'doored'. That's pretty low hanging fruit and it would definitely improve traffic safety immediately. And it doesn't even require sexy AI software.
mikeash 14y ago
I'm going to wager that, while not perfect, AI drivers may well be safer for motorcyclists than the average human driver, and probably quite a bit more predictable.
- jfoutz 14y ago
  far far safer. Even the best driver sneezes. AI drivers, even if basically not great drivers, are uniform and predictable. Also, i think they'll be heavily weighted towards "safety" and not "excitement". They might drive slower, and stop more often than strictly required, but not causing lawsuits must be priority 1
jff 14y ago
DRIVER-TRON 5000 DID NOT EVEN SEE HIM, MOTORCYCLE CAME FROM NOWHERE
- deleted 14y ago
  [deleted]
stephengillie 14y ago
I welcome the well-tested, never-tiring, unimpaired, highly predictable, self-driving AIs! :-) No more drunk drivers, no more mothers dealing with their kids while driving, city buses whose drivers don't need breaks, rental cars that drive themselves from their lot to your house (they pick you up instead of you picking them up), 100% automated home food/parcel delivery, etc. The future is awesome.
- danellis 14y ago
  The problem, though, is that as soon as a self-driving car crashes and kills someone, people will declare self-driving cars to be evil and unwanted -- even if they're actually safer than human-driven ones.
  - toomuchtodo 14y ago
    Planes crash, yet people still get on them everyday. And they're still piloted by humans.
    - saraid216 14y ago
      AFAIK, they're mostly piloted by AI. The humans are there mostly for the takeoff and landing.

excuse-me 14y ago

On the other hand a pair of bikers could start a new sport of Volvo-sniping. Assuming the algorithm is something like - steer away from another vehicle that appears in your lane - your could 'herd' lines of Volvos into each other. Ob biker joke - what's the 2nd most dangerous thing on the road? A Volvo driver in a hat. What's the most dangerous ? A Volvo driver without a hat - because he is driving around trying to remember where he left it.

tadfisher 14y ago

As a bicyclist, I echo your hopes and concerns. I'll also add a hope that the most common car-bike accidents (right- and left-hooking) are tested for extensively, as they require a bit more math and foresight than simply recognizing that I'm there.

warfangle 14y ago
I'd like it if cars had a warning system for when you open the street-side door, as well. I know far too many people who have gotten broken bones by having someone open their door unexpectedly into the bike lane.
- dsl 14y ago
  What I want is a stick or something that comes out near the bumper to block the path of bikes to protect my passengers. If they ignore it, they get deflected off into the sidewalk. I try to pull as close as I can to block bikes from getting between me and the curb and still have idiots trying to do 20mph in an impossibly tiny gap.
  - tadfisher 14y ago
    Filtering is legal in many places, and municipal governments explicitly enable this by placing bike lanes on the curbside of auto traffic. So if you live in one of these municipalities, all you are accomplishing is impeding the flow of bicycle traffic, making it actively dangerous for bicycles to follow the law, and worst of all perpetuating the so-called "war" between bicycle and automobile traffic. Disclaimer: I avoid the issue by travelling in the center of the auto traffic lane. If you don't like that, tough luck.
- ceejayoz 14y ago
  A couple second delay before my car permits me to open the door? No thanks...
  - mediaman 14y ago
    It wouldn't have to lock it. A simple warning LED located on the upper part of the door at eye-level that lights up and blinks when an oncoming cyclist from the rear is detected would prevent a lot of accidental injuries.
  - danielharan 14y ago
    Jesus. A thing that warns you that you're about to injure another human being, and you're upset you might have to wait 2 seconds? I hope that was sarcasm on your part...
    - Bleys 14y ago
      I think their issue was not having control over when they leave the vehicle. If the locks are computer controlled, there's risk of a false alarm preventing your exit, potentially in an emergency. I agree that this is better left to a warning indicator.
      - ceejayoz 14y ago
        Yep, that's exactly my issue. Warning light is fine, lockout is not. Too many situations in which a lockout would be dangerous - false positives/failure of the system locking me into the car, carjackers taking advantage of it by parking a bike behind me, etc.
jacquesm 14y ago
Even when a car is stationary you still run the risk of being 'doored'. That's pretty low hanging fruit and it would definitely improve traffic safety immediately. And it doesn't even require sexy AI software.

mikeash 14y ago

I'm going to wager that, while not perfect, AI drivers may well be safer for motorcyclists than the average human driver, and probably quite a bit more predictable.

jfoutz 14y ago
far far safer. Even the best driver sneezes. AI drivers, even if basically not great drivers, are uniform and predictable. Also, i think they'll be heavily weighted towards "safety" and not "excitement". They might drive slower, and stop more often than strictly required, but not causing lawsuits must be priority 1

jff 14y ago

DRIVER-TRON 5000 DID NOT EVEN SEE HIM, MOTORCYCLE CAME FROM NOWHERE

deleted 14y ago
[deleted]

stephengillie 14y ago

I welcome the well-tested, never-tiring, unimpaired, highly predictable, self-driving AIs! :-) No more drunk drivers, no more mothers dealing with their kids while driving, city buses whose drivers don't need breaks, rental cars that drive themselves from their lot to your house (they pick you up instead of you picking them up), 100% automated home food/parcel delivery, etc. The future is awesome.

danellis 14y ago
The problem, though, is that as soon as a self-driving car crashes and kills someone, people will declare self-driving cars to be evil and unwanted -- even if they're actually safer than human-driven ones.
- toomuchtodo 14y ago
  Planes crash, yet people still get on them everyday. And they're still piloted by humans.
  - saraid216 14y ago
    AFAIK, they're mostly piloted by AI. The humans are there mostly for the takeoff and landing.