4 ms·

After getting my first traffic-camera ticket yesterday, I'm 100% behind self-driving cars.

kiba 12y ago
I hate situations in which the traffic light turn red just before I cross the street. Most cases, I made the correct choice, but sooner or later I am going to screw up. But a self-driving car shouldn't get any hangup like that and the AI should improve each time it gets into an accident just like airline safety improve after each accident.
- grecy 12y ago
  > * cases, I made the correct choice, but sooner or later I am going to screw up.* In Australia, when you screw it up, you get a ticket for the red light and a ticket for speeding (if you were). It's not uncommon to lose your license for that "one" incident.
  - whoopdedo 12y ago
    The punishment of losing a license is one reason I think self-driving cars should be allowed to operate without one. It would be locked into automatic mode or allow a restricted (low speed only) manual mode for emergencies. This would also help the elderly or disabled who would not be able to pass a driving test.
- rahimnathwani 12y ago
  > I hate situations in which the traffic light turn red just before I cross the street. In the UK there are amber lights for this purpose. The light changes from green to amber, before turning red. Both amber and red mean 'stop', but you're not going to get a ticket for going through an amber light. "You MUST stop behind the white ‘Stop’ line across your side of the road unless the light is green. If the amber light appears you may go on only if you have already crossed the stop line or are so close to it that to stop might cause a collision." (From https://www.gov.uk/using-the-road-159-to-203/road-junctions-170-to-183 https://www.gov.uk/using-the-road-159-to-203/road-junctions-...)
  - icehawk219 12y ago
    The US has the same thing the problem is it's not always followed. Many drivers don't view the amber/yellow light as "I should stop now" but rather view it as "I better speed up so I don't get stuck at the red light". There's also been much accusation (though I have no links handy to provide as proof) of townships implementing red-light cameras and then changing, without warning, the duration of the amber light to be shorter. Keeping in mind that the law states that you cannot be inside the intersection when the light is red, if you entered it while the light was green or amber is irrelevant [Edit - It's been correctly pointed out below that this law may vary from state to state].
    - Stratoscope 12y ago
      That's not the law in California. It is perfectly legal to be within an intersection when the light turns red. It's only illegal to enter an intersection while the light is red. Source 1: California Driver Handbook http://apps.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/hdbk/traff_lgts_sgns.htm http://apps.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/hdbk/traff_lgts_sgns.htm - - - Solid Yellow – A yellow signal light means "CAUTION." The red signal is about to appear. When you see the yellow light, stop if you can do so safely. If you cannot stop safely, cross the intersection cautiously. - - - The "stop if you can do so safely" wording is safety advice, and sound advice too. But it's not a statement of law. Source 2: California Vehicle Code http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/displaycode?section=veh&group=21001-22000&file=21450-21468 http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/displaycode?section=veh&gr... - - - 21452. (a) A driver facing a steady circular yellow or yellow arrow signal is, by that signal, warned that the related green movement is ending or that a red indication will be shown immediately thereafter. 21453. (a) A driver facing a steady circular red signal alone shall stop at a marked limit line, but if none, before entering the crosswalk on the near side of the intersection or, if none, then before entering the intersection, and shall remain stopped until an indication to proceed is shown, except as provided in subdivision (b). - - - Note that the yellow light is described only as a warning, with no mention of it being illegal to enter the intersection while the light is yellow. And there is no mention of it being illegal to be inside the intersection when the light turns red, only that you can't enter on a red light. I can't speak for other states, but I suspect that the laws in many of them are similar.

kiba 12y ago

I hate situations in which the traffic light turn red just before I cross the street. Most cases, I made the correct choice, but sooner or later I am going to screw up. But a self-driving car shouldn't get any hangup like that and the AI should improve each time it gets into an accident just like airline safety improve after each accident.

grecy 12y ago
> * cases, I made the correct choice, but sooner or later I am going to screw up.* In Australia, when you screw it up, you get a ticket for the red light and a ticket for speeding (if you were). It's not uncommon to lose your license for that "one" incident.
- whoopdedo 12y ago
  The punishment of losing a license is one reason I think self-driving cars should be allowed to operate without one. It would be locked into automatic mode or allow a restricted (low speed only) manual mode for emergencies. This would also help the elderly or disabled who would not be able to pass a driving test.
rahimnathwani 12y ago
> I hate situations in which the traffic light turn red just before I cross the street. In the UK there are amber lights for this purpose. The light changes from green to amber, before turning red. Both amber and red mean 'stop', but you're not going to get a ticket for going through an amber light. "You MUST stop behind the white ‘Stop’ line across your side of the road unless the light is green. If the amber light appears you may go on only if you have already crossed the stop line or are so close to it that to stop might cause a collision." (From https://www.gov.uk/using-the-road-159-to-203/road-junctions-170-to-183 https://www.gov.uk/using-the-road-159-to-203/road-junctions-...)
- icehawk219 12y ago
  The US has the same thing the problem is it's not always followed. Many drivers don't view the amber/yellow light as "I should stop now" but rather view it as "I better speed up so I don't get stuck at the red light". There's also been much accusation (though I have no links handy to provide as proof) of townships implementing red-light cameras and then changing, without warning, the duration of the amber light to be shorter. Keeping in mind that the law states that you cannot be inside the intersection when the light is red, if you entered it while the light was green or amber is irrelevant [Edit - It's been correctly pointed out below that this law may vary from state to state].
  - Stratoscope 12y ago
    That's not the law in California. It is perfectly legal to be within an intersection when the light turns red. It's only illegal to enter an intersection while the light is red. Source 1: California Driver Handbook http://apps.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/hdbk/traff_lgts_sgns.htm http://apps.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/hdbk/traff_lgts_sgns.htm - - - Solid Yellow – A yellow signal light means "CAUTION." The red signal is about to appear. When you see the yellow light, stop if you can do so safely. If you cannot stop safely, cross the intersection cautiously. - - - The "stop if you can do so safely" wording is safety advice, and sound advice too. But it's not a statement of law. Source 2: California Vehicle Code http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/displaycode?section=veh&group=21001-22000&file=21450-21468 http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/displaycode?section=veh&gr... - - - 21452. (a) A driver facing a steady circular yellow or yellow arrow signal is, by that signal, warned that the related green movement is ending or that a red indication will be shown immediately thereafter. 21453. (a) A driver facing a steady circular red signal alone shall stop at a marked limit line, but if none, before entering the crosswalk on the near side of the intersection or, if none, then before entering the intersection, and shall remain stopped until an indication to proceed is shown, except as provided in subdivision (b). - - - Note that the yellow light is described only as a warning, with no mention of it being illegal to enter the intersection while the light is yellow. And there is no mention of it being illegal to be inside the intersection when the light turns red, only that you can't enter on a red light. I can't speak for other states, but I suspect that the laws in many of them are similar.