Re:Waymo: Google's self-driving car company
by mnglkhn2 on Tuesday December 13, 2016 @05:52PM
(#13171997)
So far the focus was primarily on what it would take to produce an autonomous car, which is primarily a technological challenge. But what I see as a harder problem to solve is the one imposed on all humans participating in traffic: we will have to strictly adhere and be very self-disciplined in traffic, in order to make sure that the non-humans get the correct message.
Imagine I am a cyclist and I don't signal but I swiftly swerve to the right. Unless the self-driving car is already at a slow speed, it would impose an undue risk.
Or, it is hard to expect that humans will rigorously adhere to this traffic discipline.
This is why these cars will drive slow for the foreseeable future and will frustrate a good chunk of the drivers.
Unless it gets dedicated lanes, the way bicycles do.
Imagine I am a cyclist and I don't signal but I swiftly swerve to the right. Unless the self-driving car is already at a slow speed, it would impose an undue risk. Or, it is hard to expect that humans will rigorously adhere to this traffic discipline.
This is why these cars will drive slow for the foreseeable future and will frustrate a good chunk of the drivers.
Unless it gets dedicated lanes, the way bicycles do.