Let’s Build a Future Without Cars

Re:Let’s Build a Future Without Cars by nickpinkston on Saturday April 21, 2012 @01:01PM (#3872239)

Yes, I came in here to comment of this. Let's cure the ills of a device that is massively useful. Sure - cities should look more like NYC and less like Houston - I'll give the car haters that, but I'm with uvdiv, that I'd far prefer fast, clean versions that drove themselves.

The great part of high-speed rail, etc. is that you can relax while they do the driving and you arrive close to your destination. However, driverless cars give you the best of both of those worlds, and other than wind-resistance (which drafting largely solves) you have similar efficiency.

PS - Does anyone find "driverless car" to be the 21st century equivalent of "horseless carriage"?

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Re:Let’s Build a Future Without Cars by ken on Saturday April 21, 2012 @04:36PM (#3872931)

Maybe I'm the one crazy luddite on HN (would not surprise me at all!), but I don't look forward to self-driving 300mph cars. The idea of trusting a computer system to keep me safe on open roads, in close proximity to other computer-controlled cars, sounds terrifying, not relaxing.

Yes, I love high-speed trains, because they're on a track, and while this obviously does not guarantee safety, it certainly makes it feel much safer to me.

Compare to air travel. Even with the meticulous maintenance and regulatory requirements, a significant fraction of the population is scared of flying (to some degree). Driverless cars are better in one aspect (operates at ground level), worse in others (proximity to other vehicles), just different in some ways (computer versus human pilot), and complete unknowns, so far, in others (regulation).

Even if the actual crash/injury/fatality rate of driverless cars is nil, how do you design a 300mph computer-controlled car to not be scary for passengers? I want it to work, as I recognize the advantages, but it seems like the social problems will be even tougher than the technical problems, and I'm definitely not going to be an early adopter.

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Re:Let’s Build a Future Without Cars by fiddly_bits on Saturday April 21, 2012 @07:02PM (#3873268)

Must be perspective. I, for instance, think we should all be terrified to share the road with scores, hundreds, or even thousands of multi-ton mechanical devices traveling anywhere from 25 to 70 mph which are operated by people, easily-distracted, endlessly fallible, and often foolishly reckless people. Computer-controlled sounds better/safer to me.

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Re:Let’s Build a Future Without Cars by tommi on Saturday April 21, 2012 @06:35PM (#3873211)

You do realize that a 300mph car is unfeasible due to drag? And that the close proximity is more of an issue with humans because of the inability to realize how much distance you actually need to react safely?

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Re:Let’s Build a Future Without Cars by mortenjorck on Saturday April 21, 2012 @03:27PM (#3872740)

PS - Does anyone find "driverless car" to be the 21st century equivalent of "horseless carriage"?

The best words I've read all week.

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