Driverless Nissan nearly takes out cyclist

[Jody]

The thought of having some guided missile hammering down the roads controlled by a computer using sensor's and cameras sends a shudder through me. .

Yet we allow inexperienced drivers on the road after passing their test, people to be trusted with high power cars, ditractions like phones and sat navs etc. Althought the tech is in its infancy I like the idea that a computer will follow the rules. The self guided car would not be hammering down the roads as it would be obeying the speed limit. What about a youth hammering down the road in a barry boy'd Corsa teetering on the edge of control. Or the drunk that got behind the wheel.

 

[jarlrmai]

It's interesting to see what effect following the rules will have when dealing with traffic that largely doesn't.

 

[johnnyb47]

Yet we allow inexperienced drivers on the road after passing their test, people to be trusted with high power cars, ditractions like phones and sat navs etc. Althought the tech is in its infancy I like the idea that a computer will follow the rules. The self guided car would not be hammering down the roads as it would be obeying the speed limit. What about a youth hammering down the road in a barry boy'd Corsa teetering on the edge of control. Or the drunk that got behind the wheel.

Good point and well said buddy

 

[KneesUp]

Are they still built with bifocal windscreens?

AS first offered on the Allegro, which also featured an Incontinence Warning Light on the Vanden Plas.

 

[Low Gear Guy]

I cannot see the benefit in having a self driving car which the driver can over use.

For example, consider a vehicle waiting at a side road to join a busy main road. A computer controlled system will wait until there is a suitable gap no matter how long it takes. The human driver get's impatient and accelerates out after a period of time.

As a result the driver tends to take over at the point where he/she should not.

Would you permit the factory worker to remove the safety cage for operational convenience?

 

[Inertia]

It's interesting to see what effect following the rules will have when dealing with traffic that largely doesn't.

Well if I can manage it, Im sure a computer eventually could.

 

[jarlrmai]

The main thing about self driving cars is that most of the benefits are only realised when they are 100% self driving. If someone still has to be ready to take over then they can't be used as a taxi to transport non drivers or drunk people on a night out without a designated driver, they can't self park after dropping you off, they can't drive themselves to your house/location on order or drive themselves to the local supercharger to top up the battery, essentially you have to maintain the driver who must be qualified, not incapacitated and have all the required controls to take over should the AI not be able to cope.

 

[Inertia]

I cannot see the benefit in having a self driving car which the driver can over use.

For example, consider a vehicle waiting at a side road to join a busy main road. A computer controlled system will wait until there is a suitable gap no matter how long it takes. The human driver get's impatient and accelerates out after a period of time.

As a result the driver tends to take over at the point where he/she should not.

Would you permit the factory worker to remove the safety cage for operational convenience?

I think the car that can be overridden will be an intermediate step, long term hopefully the human wont be involved at all.

 

[Drago]

Wouldn't it be nice if self driving cars couldn't be programmed to move between 2 points under 5 miles apart? Make the bone idle masses walk or cycle and relieve some of the environmental pressure.

 

[Drago]

Lazy sods probably would too.

 

[jefmcg]

People are ignoring the dangers as illustrated by this important documentary from the 1990s.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWgrvNHjKkY

 

[KnackeredBike]

Wouldn't it be nice if self driving cars couldn't be programmed to move between 2 points under 5 miles apart? Make the bone idle masses walk or cycle and relieve some of the environmental pressure.

Would just mean when I am doing a family supermarket run I would have to drive five miles away. Can't see many people putting twelve bags of shopping on the back of a pushbike.

And for all the talk of "programming" it's important to understand that self driving cars won't be programmed with "give cyclist three metres of space", they will have the very basics (road signs etc) hard programmed and the rest will be learnt behaviour, e.g. "this road is wide so I will overtake with more space as I have seen in xxx,000 other incidences", "we are approaching a cycle path on the right so I will not overtake in case the cyclist needs to turn" etc.

 

[MarkF]

Would just mean when I am doing a family supermarket run I would have to drive five miles away. Can't see many people putting twelve bags of shopping on the back of a pushbike.

That's only 1.7 bags per days trip instead of a run!

 

[KnackeredBike]

That's only 1.7 bags per days trip instead of a run!

Whenever I've used 0.7 of a bag it's all fallen out on the way home.

 

[Drago]

Would just mean when I am doing a family supermarket run I would have to drive five miles away. Can't see many people putting twelve bags of shopping on the back of a pushbike.

And for all the talk of "programming" it's important to understand that self driving cars won't be programmed with "give cyclist three metres of space", they will have the very basics (road signs etc) hard programmed and the rest will be learnt behaviour, e.g. "this road is wide so I will overtake with more space as I have seen in xxx,000 other incidences", "we are approaching a cycle path on the right so I will not overtake in case the cyclist needs to turn" etc.

Don't do it all in one go. Spread the shopping and the consequential load. Book your shopping online and have it delivered...

Look on Mr Money Mustache's website at the people who move ladders, cookers and fridges across town quite comfortably on cycle trailers. If you're able bodied none of these issues are insurmountable - one of my projects for this year is to build a cargo trailer for my own use, and thus dispense with car number 2 entirely.

http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2011...y-getting-your-groceries-with-a-bike-trailer/