News for hackers. Stuff that matters.

A comment on Self-Driving Cars Can Handle Neither Rain nor Sleet nor Snow. Parent comment

Re:Self-Driving Cars Can Handle Neither Rain nor Sleet nor Snow by realandreskytt on Tuesday September 18, 2018 @01:48AM (#18012785)
I’d recommend visiting Finland. In these parts, there’s basically 3 months of optimal visibility. The rest is fog, rain, snow, sleet and road conditions that would shut down most of US. Yet people drive and do so safely. “What people can do” is a bit different from “what an average us driver can be expected to do”
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Self-Driving Cars Can Handle Neither Rain nor Sleet nor Snow by agurk on Tuesday September 18, 2018 @04:38AM (#18013516)
And as a taxi driver once told me in Helsinki there are four seasons in Finland - Autumn, Winter, Spring and Construction. Even when the visibility is optimal they'll likely be tearing up the road anyway.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Self-Driving Cars Can Handle Neither Rain nor Sleet nor Snow by darawk on Tuesday September 18, 2018 @03:35AM (#18013287)
It may be that regions with better climates receive these vehicles first. It's relatively straightforward to detect the prevalent conditions and refuse to drive if the weather is outside the scope for which the vehicle is rated. As the technology matures, that scope should broaden.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Self-Driving Cars Can Handle Neither Rain nor Sleet nor Snow by justtopost on Tuesday September 18, 2018 @08:00AM (#18014443)
So road trips are unaccounted for? Not a comforting idea that taking your car to another area will render it functionally unsafe on the (differently designed) roadways.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Self-Driving Cars Can Handle Neither Rain nor Sleet nor Snow by Piskvorrr on Tuesday September 18, 2018 @03:13PM (#18018244)
Essentially the same as "smartphones are about 95% useless without mobile broadband". Except for the tiny detail that lack of mobile coverage is unlikely to kill you...
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Self-Driving Cars Can Handle Neither Rain nor Sleet nor Snow by darawk on Tuesday September 18, 2018 @11:40AM (#18016194)
That's a price I would very very happily pay for a self-driving car that works in my city. If I want to take a road trip, i'll rent a traditional car.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Self-Driving Cars Can Handle Neither Rain nor Sleet nor Snow by justtopost on Thursday September 20, 2018 @03:54PM (#18035036)
We clearly have different lifestyles. Renting a car 3 times a week to venture into the mountains is beyond unaffordable, much less once a month. Do you stay that static in your life?
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Self-Driving Cars Can Handle Neither Rain nor Sleet nor Snow by village-idiot on Tuesday September 18, 2018 @01:53AM (#18012813)
Doesn’t findland have a higher vehicle fatality rate than other nations?
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Self-Driving Cars Can Handle Neither Rain nor Sleet nor Snow by treerock on Tuesday September 18, 2018 @03:16AM (#18013193)
Seems to be less than half the US rate.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_traffic-r...

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Self-Driving Cars Can Handle Neither Rain nor Sleet nor Snow by village-idiot on Tuesday September 18, 2018 @08:08AM (#18014495)
Ah, I was thinking of the UK. Finland has 50% more fatalities per mile than the UK.
[ Parent | on HN ]